Why me!
by cloud9strife
Summary: I am not okay! First, I'm being deprived of my precious food, then I get dragged out of my classes and now all of a sudden I'm a Marauder. What in the blazes is going on? Why can't I just fall in love like normal people do? RemxOC Marauders Era : Ch: 1 rewritten
1. Chapter 1

**Why? Oh, why did this have to happen to ME? part 1**

"Ahh!" the scream echoed throughout the castle. No one paid too much attention after all it was an everyday occurrence. You're probably wondering who screamed? And why was it considered normal? Well let's take a look shall we.

_I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go insane. This can't be happening, especially to someone like me. This isn't right I'm supposed to live a simple life of boredom, just not __**this**__!_

A girl with dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes, continued to pace up and down the small common room of the Hufflepuff dorm. She had been ranting the last twenty minutes about how this and that shouldn't be happening. Still can't figure out what's going on? Then let me take you back a few weeks ago.

…

She had been sitting in the library thinking or rather listing all the reasons why she shouldn't love a certain Marauder. It was a known fact that the majority of the female population had a certain liking towards the band of misfits. So it wasn't any wonder that this specific girl would also have a liking for one of them. She was quite infatuated with a young wizard with exceptional qualities. No, it wasn't James. Not that he wasn't charming, handsome, funny or the life of the party; no this specific girl had a specific taste when it came to choosing who she liked. It wasn't the famous Sirius Black even though he had that bad boy routine going for him.

No, there was only one person she was interested in.

"_Remus_…," She let out a breathy whisper.

She had met and fell in love with him during her first year. As the time passed her feelings for him grew. At first she would simply admire him from afar. They would have small conversations but nothing that would be considered as memorable. Still the more she got to know him the stronger her feelings became. Sometimes all it would take was a smile quirk of the lips to leave her breathless.

"Excuse me Miss, I suggest you start heading off to your dorm now." She had jumped at the sound of the librarians words. She hadn't realized that she had staring off into space. Her checks turned bright red with embarrassment. With a small thank you, she gathered her things and made her way quickly in the direction of her dorm.

As she walked she began to curse her own stupidity and lack of focus. She was supposed to be finishing up her essay for transfiguration. She could practically hear the lecture Professor Mc Gonagall would give her, if she didn't have it finished on time. She was not looking forward to that one bit. In her haste she wasn't able to prevent herself from crashing into another body. They ended up in a small pile on the floor.

Before she could begin uttering an apology large brown eyes locked on another pair of brown eyes. She felt like crawling under a rock or something. There sprawled on the floor in front of her laid James Potter. Without a word he stood up and looked behind him before muttering a curse, "bloody hell." Before she could ask what was wrong he grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the nearest classroom.

She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she was sure of one thing; and that was that whatever came next would involve her in detention. She did not feel too happy about that outcome. On top of that her mind had a way of letting her imagination run wild.

_Why are we hiding? He probably did something. Is he going to hurt me? Don't be ridiculous you didn't do anything wrong. Why am I hiding? That's a good question I have no idea. What is he going to do to me? Probably, going to lock you in a room and let you starve. No, I can't think these horrible thoughts. He maybe an arrogant guy but he is not a prat. Why in the hell is it so dark here? Shoot where the hell did I leave my wand? Oh yeah, it's right here. Go figure I was holding it the entire time-_

"Just great they're coming this way. Hurry up and move to the back of the classroom." I should be angry that he was ordering me around and why was I even listening to him in the first place? I had half a mind to tell him where he can shove those orders, the nerve of this jerk-

She felt a hard push on her back as she was pushed further into the room, "hey!"

He pushed her again before whispering, "be quiet," with an extra push to emphasize his point.

"Watch it," she whispers back with a similar tone to his. She continued to let herself be pushed into the classroom without so much as a whisper; when her knee came in contact with one of the chairs that caused her to shout, "ow!"

"Shut up," he whispered in an irritated tone. She was getting quite sick of his attitude.

"You shut up I- *bang*" Before she could start her tirade she was interrupted by the loud bang of the door being kicked open.

"So this is where you're hiding Potter. I'm surprised you're not with that pathetic group you call friends." She stood there in shock. The person who had kicked the door had been Lucious Malfoy but that wasn't why I was in shock. There standing the biggest Slytherin lover to ever exist, the one who enjoyed bulling others for his own enjoyment, the "Muggle" hater, was standing there covered from head to toe in pink. The one who hated Muggles was covered from head to toe in pink robes; pink robes, which were covered in hearts and plush bears. She couldn't help it she laughed. She laughed to the point that small tears prickled her eyes.

"hahahahahahaha-*jab*" I was jabbed on the side by James. Apparently laughing was not the best course of action in this particular situation. Considering that they were currently outnumbered by seven to two? Yup the odds didn't look too good. She did my best to compose herself before standing straighter with her wand in hand. "*cough* Lucious I'm sorry." His glare had not lessened but it hadn't increased either. "I wasn't aware that pink was the new green pfft hahahah."

"That's it-." He made a move towards her but was blocked by James.

"Watch it Malfoy." There was an air of confidence in his tone.

"Stand aside Potter once I'm done with this insolent brat you're next," he spat. "Potter I'm going to make you regret you ever met me."

"Oh really, that's interesting coming from you. I would have thought that you would be happy. After all I did go out of my way to place a well executed plan on your entire dorm. You should be honored that the Marauders chose you as the victim." Stem seemed to be coming out of the Slytherine's ears at James's words.

"I don't know how you did it and I don't care. All I care about is that you're outnumbered and I am going to enjoy making you suffer." He had a malicious glint that made shivers run down her spine. His words weren't simply a threat.

Deciding she had enough with their bickering she stepped forward. She figured that if she was going to end up getting detention it better be for a good reason.

"I don't understand why you're so mad Lucious," at her words everyone turned to look at her many with confused and wary looks. "I think you look lovely in pink." At her words Lucious sent a glare with so much hatred she could feel her skin melt off her body. That was another thing about her she had a tendency to speak before thinking. She should probably work on that.

"I think we should all talk about this calmly and rationally after all we are all mature wizards who do not need to resort to violence-ZAP." Did I mention then when she talks she tends to do hand motions and did I mention that she was still holding her wand? In that instant all hell broke loose. The spell had hit one of his lackeys making them fall on their butt. Everything went crazy after that. Spell shot out in all directions nobody was safe.

I would love to tell you that it all went well. That James and her beat the crap out of the others and left unscathed but then I would be lying. See James on his part took three down easily without even having to blink; she on the other hand… let's just say, her hand slipped, a couple of times. She gave Malfoy a tutu and accidentally got James in the butt. It caused him turn in her direction which then caused him to get smacked by a spell. In the end she ended up with my robes in a mess and her hair sticking out in weird angles. Out of all of them James was the only one who didn't look like a train wreck.

Well since they made so much noise, Filch found them and brought them all to McGonagall. Let's just say, they all ended up with detention. She was not happy, James was not happy. I think it was mostly directed at her although she did say it was an accident. Malfoy well he was still pink. The professor thought it would be best to let him figure out a reversal spell.

They all went their own respective ways. By the time she reached her dorm she was dead tired. As she got herself ready for bed she began to think to herself. She assumed that it would be the last time she would every find herself in such a situation or that she would associate herself with people like James and Lucious Malfoy.

The next morning she made my way towards the Great Hall to get some breakfast. As she was skipping along in the general direction of her house table she was stopped. She was being blocked by a person's chest. Before she could begin to yell or push said person out of the way from keeping her away from her precious food. A hand was placed over her mouth preventing her from uttering all the curses she had learned throughout her life. He turned her around and began to steer her in the direction of the Gryffindor table. There waiting were none other than the rest of the Marauders.

The first thoughts she could think of where the words _Crap_ and _life's unfair._

She was plopped down, right in front of their probing gazes. She wasn't sure what was going on or what they wanted but all I could think to say at the moment was…

"I didn't do it." Each had a different expression, Sirius looked confused, Peter looked like he wanted to argue. On the other hand a bit of mirth twinkled in a pair of blue eyes apparently he finds the situation amusing.

"Look be quiet and sit still. We brought you here because we want you to answer a few questions." Apparently the jerk that took her away from her precious food was none other than James. Okay, to be honest she doesn't exactly hate him more of the fact that she doesn't like him at the moment. She tends to get just a bit agitated when she is being deprived of her food.

"If this is about yesterday…I can explain. I accidentally lost track of time and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was just an innocent by standard please don't hurt me."

"Hey that's not what we-," Sirius had begun to argue.

Her mind began to go a little haywire. Her mind was going a hundred miles a minute already imagining the worst before he even got the chance to finish.

_He was going to tell me that there was no way I was getting out of being punished. That they would find Mr. Waffles (he's my cute and cuddly bear, his full name is Vanilla Waffles) and rip out his stuffing and tear out his little fluffed out tail and –no I had to stop thinking these thoughts. There was no way I'm letting them anywhere near Mr. Waffles._

"Now, you look hear. You touch one fluff of Mr. Waffles head. I will personally make sure that you won't be able to prank anyone else ever again. If I find so much as a bit of fluff missing, so help me I'm going to rip-."

"Wait! Calm down Emily. Who in the blazes is Mr. Waffles? You got us all wrong we really just wanted to ask you for a favor." After Sirius had finished trying to calm her down, from her rant, her body became less tense. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions like…

_Where they lying when they said they don't know Mr. Waffles? Or what could I possible know that could possible interest these four?_

Out of all the questions that plagued her mind there was only one that she wanted an answer for.

"How do you know my name?" Okay, that wasn't exactly the question she wanted to ask but it came out nonetheless.

"Oh, um… I believe that's thanks to Moony here." Her eyes went wide. There was no way that Remus knew her name.

_Crap he noticed me starring, act cool, calm down Emily, don't blush, don't blush damn it. Oh crap I'm blushing like a school girl just great._

"He knows everyone's name, but um… back to business. We are curious to know what spell you used on Malfoy over there." She turned in the direction he pointed and was graced with the view of one very pink Slytherin being made fun of by his fellow classmates. He seemed to be mumbling curses to himself. In that moment he looked up to see her staring and he sent a glare that would put darkest wizard's glare to shame. Let's just say, that it looks like she has a new enemy. I'm pretty sure if he could he would kill her with his eyes many times over. Suppressing the urge to curl into a ball she turned back to Sirius and as discreetly as possible, tried to shrink herself, under the table. Only to be pulled up by James.

_Damn him to the ends of the earth._

"What spell?" She was genuinely confused. She couldn't exactly remember all the spells she used. Therefore they would have to clarify as to what spell they meant.

"Well we are most interested in the spell that *gurgle*." That was the sound of her stomach grumbling/begging for sustenance.

_Okay I can officially go die in a ditch. Why? Oh why did my stomach have to grumble in this specific moment? _She could feel her cheeks go a few shades darker. _Why did my stomach have to grumble in front of the one I love? Please, if there is justice in the world may the heavens strike me down._

"Sorry you must be hungry. Here have some pancakes."

_Its official I now worship the ground Sirius walks on. He had handed me a nice warm stack of buttermilk pancakes with blue berry's on top._

With a quickness that could put a leopard to shame she snatched the syrup and began to pour it over the pancakes.

"Anyhow we wanted to know how you managed to cause Malfoy's voice to sound like that. I mean usually his voice is pretty girly but what you did to him was priceless-." She had managed to grab a fork and knife, and had begun to cut out a nice triangle stack of pancakes covered in syrup. At this point her attention was solely focused on the mouth watering fluff of heaven in front of her. She could almost taste its spongy texture covered in the mouth watering syrup. As you can see she's a bit obsessed with food.

"Emily so what do you say?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, what?" Like I said her focus was on something else entirely. As she was about to take her first bite, the fork with my fluff of heaven was snatched from right under her very nose. Along with the plate that held those lovely pancakes.

"I think you've had enough."

_You know what? Scratch the part about not hating, James. How dare he take away my fluff of heaven? _

"Now let's get down to business. If you help us we are willing to give something in exchange as long as it's within our ability to obtain it of course. So what do you say?" Okay, maybe she shouldn't have been so focused on the pancakes because now she was more lost than before. All She could think about was the emptiness of her stomach. She felt tears make their way into my eyes.

_My precious food how could they, why are they so cruel?_

"Hey now, don't cry. Look we didn't- we aren't bad guys- damn it one of you do something. I can't deal with girls crying." Sirius was looking towards the other Marauders for some sort of help.

"Prongs give her back the pancakes. Sirius calm down, I don't think that's why she's crying. Look Emily I'm sorry on behalf of James and Sirius. If you want you can leave once you finish the pancakes." To say that she swooned at Remus's voice would be an understatement. She just couldn't believe it. He was even more handsome up close. She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to just leave like that. She wanted to do something but was unsure as to what.

"Um…about what you guys where asking, I wasn't paying attention; sorry but whatever it is you wanted I'll do it. You don't have to give me anything in return consider it as an apology for getting James in the butt." She hadn't realized it then but when those words had left her mouth she had condemned herself to a life of disaster. If she had known then she probably would have grabbed the pancakes and ran. Unfortunately since she didn't seem capable of sensing danger, even if it smacked me in the face she continued to sit there; completely, missing the mischief's grins that had spread over both Sirius and James's faces.

…

author: if you like it then please review! Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Why? Oh Why did this have to happen to ME? –part 2**

**Ps: I am sorry for any grammatical errors if anyone wants to be my editor message me kay **

**Just to be clear**

**The normal words = present**

_**The slanted or those in bold = past**_

To say that the past few weeks have been uneventful would be a complete and utter lie. I wasn't sure what went wrong. It seemed that I couldn't escape the Marauders, more specifically James and Sirius. I mean honestly it seemed that every corner I turned they were there. I felt like I was going insane and I didn't know how things had possible gotten to this level. Actually I can safely say that this entire mess began two weeks ago.

_It was the day after I had agreed to who knows what. Stupid pancakes it's their entire fault with their mouth watering aroma. After I had finished the delicious, fluffy, spongy-*cough* pancakes. I had excused myself and left I assumed they would send a note or something to get what they wanted. I can safely say that is not what happened at all._

_Apparently according to James and Sirius, there was no need for me to attend my last class which happened to be Charms. I had been up ducted right under the very nose of my professor who seemed more preoccupied with resetting some books in order to use it as a foot stool. He's very short and I hate him since that day. Why do you ask? Well it so happens he has broken the unspoken bound of professor and pupil. After they had unceremoniously began to drag me away from my chair it took me a full minute to figure out what exactly was going on. At this point I had yelled help in the direction of the professor. Only for him to have the audacity to wave good-bye and clearly say the words "have fun"-"have fun"- what in blazes was wrong with him how dare he. I should castrate him maybe even murder the midget. Come on isn't there supposed to be an unspoken rule that dictates that when a student is in trouble a professor is supposed to step in and help. The key word being supposed to be, how dare he act so indifferent? I don't know what I'm going to do to him. I might even set Mr. Waffles on that short stump of a midget._

_Anyways when we had finally reached the third floor I decided enough was enough. I placed my two feet firmly on the ground, there was no way I was going anywhere without being told exactly where I was going. They had seemed confused at my anger they tried to tempt me by telling me that it was going to be fun. They even resorted to bribery at first I had just scoffed at their offers._

"_Here I'll give you these awesome stink bombs"- Sirius, who the hell wants stink bombs_

"_No thanks I have a trunk full of them"- I replied with a scoff_

"_Well how about this snitch signed by a famous Quidditch player" – Both me and Sirius snorted at his offer._

"_I'm not obsessed with the game"- I replied while I rolled my eyes at him_

"_Oh I know what if I offered to show you something amazing."- Sirius replied as he got a look from James to which Sirius promptly ignored. This caused him to get jabbed in the ribs by James._

_ "ow! Watch it prongs?"  
_

_"You watch it padfoot."_

"_Sorry not interested." I replied in a bored tone I was just about to leave when James's words stopped me._

"_Fine I guess you don't want any of the treats we have stored. I'm sure you've already tried the famous cupcakes only sold in Northern Ireland. I heard their cupcakes where so delicious that they decided that they should be illegal. Of course you wouldn't be interested in them." Okay I'm not going to lie I was really tempted. I had heard of those cupcakes unfortunately I hadn't had the opportunity to try them. Damn them they know my weakness, I must not give in to __**temptation.**__ I personally think I deserve I pat in the back for not running back to beg for just one bite out of one of those cupcakes._

"_It's an intriguing well I'll take it because I'm a kind, forgiving person." I had missed how Sirius was rolling his eyes at my quick response. James on the other hand seemed delighted._

"_Wonderful, now come and hurry up Moony and Wormtail are already waiting for us."_

_After that faithful day it seemed that I had being given a place among the Marauders. They had me doing all kinds of things, from giving the Slytherin boys pink hair to placing charms on the all the desks in the school causing them to run around. All of the professors had been peeved quite a bit about the last one. The only one that seemed to be enjoying the show was the headmaster himself._

Although nothing compared to what James and Sirius had come up with last week. If I didn't know them so well; I would say that they should have been placed in Slytherin for being so conniving. I don't even know how they managed to get that specific information all I know I was still a little disoriented about the whole ordeal. I still remember it clearly…

"_Um guys where are we?" One moment I had been sleeping peacefully in one of the library couches when I was blindfolded and dragged to who knows where. When we got to a certain place they had me pacing back and forth with them; for a moment I had thought they had completely lost it when we came to a stop and I was dragged into a room. At the moment I was facing a weird version of the common room but with more things such as a tray of treats and cushions._

"_It's called the room of requirement" at that moment they were both facing me with a serious look as they accessed me from head to toe._

"_Where are the rest? Where is Remus?" Apparently I had said something to this point I still have no idea if it was a good thing or bad thing._

"_You like Remus right?" Sirius always the blunt one, I had been caught completely off guard I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I mean technically no I don't like him because I love him. At the same time I couldn't tell them that. Oh shoot what if Remus knew how should I face him? The real question was could I face him? While I was having a life crisis they seemed to interpret my silence their own way._

"_Don't be stupid padfoot she doesn't like Remus she loves him even I can see that?" I could only stare at James in horror he never told me he was a mind reader._

"_Okay whatever she loves him my point is what should we do about it?" As my face was contorting from shocked, horror, confusion and a bunch of other emotions; which by the way I wasn't sure my body could handle. They continued on with their own personal conversation completely ignoring the fact that I could be having my own personal heart attack._

"_Isn't obvious we have to play matchmaker. Since Merlin only knows when Remus will even begin to notice girls. Besides he needs a girl he needs it more than Wormtail and that's saying something."_

"_Hate to say it mate but you need one too and don't give me that look. I know you quote on quote love Evans but for heaven's sake you need to realize that she doesn't like you."_

"_Look don't start I've told you already I don't like Evans I just like to annoy her and that has nothing to do with my love life."_

"_Right sure look we are getting off topic back to Emily and Remus. You know this is going to be hundred times harder than getting Malfoy to express his undying love for Snape without the help of magic."_

"_You're exaggerating sure Remus is a bookworm but we both know he likes her."_

"_Wait! What? Are you two insane Remus can't like somebody like me!" Okay all of this was getting hard to take in. How can they just stand there and not even take my feelings into consideration. I'm having a personal heart attack and they are acting as if they were discussing a new prank or the weather._

"_Yeah I know he likes her that's not what I'm saying. My point is that how in the hell do we get him to act like a man and turn on the charm."_

"_I don't know. What I was thinking, we could just lock them in a room together to see what happens."_

"_Oh come on prongs we can do better than that we should place them in romantic setting and let the love spark between them."_

"_I guess you're right we could do that. So it's decided so when do you want to start Emily." Oh now they decide to pay attention to me._

"_Emily, are you okay? What are you doing on the ground?" While they were busy planning I had promptly fainted from the lack of oxygen entering my brain. My shock had been so much that I had forgotten how to breathe properly so here I was on the ground sprawled and disoriented._

"_So I guess it's settled we begin next week otherwise Remus might get suspicious. Well goodnight Emily we can start planning tomorrow."_

"_Padfoot is right come on Emily you should get some rest if we are going to start you're lessons on how to use you're womanly charms." What womanly charms I have no womanly charms unless you want to call being able to trip on my own two feet charm._

"_Especially if we have to start early otherwise you might miss you're classes since we can't do this at night. It would be weird besides you have to come with us to do the next prank we set up. Therefore you probably won't be getting much sleep for the next couple of weeks oh well minor details." How dare he who said I would be going with them to do their midnight pranks. Also what makes him think that I agree with the stupid plan. Okay I'm really not that mad about the plan since I absolutely love Remus but still they should at least have the decency to wait for a response._

So after that faithful night I had thought that I had dreamt the entire ordeal. I even resorted to begging random people to smack me a new one to wake me up from the weird dream. Well when the so called lessons began I thought James was kidding some of the lessons where so ridiculous. I still don't understand what half of the lessons had to do with anything I could still remember those mornings of being woken up at 5 in the morning. The Ministry of Magic should place a law that bands people from waking at such an ungodly hour. I mean who in their right mind wakes up at such an hour and to make matters worse he even had me doing those lessons on the weekend the **weekend.**

"_Ok Emily the first lesson is the art conversation. Now imagine I'm Remus so talk to me."_

"_Um hi"_

"_No stop right there come on Emily what kind of response is that. You are talking to the man of your dreams you can do better than that." I wasn't sure how to respond to that I mean I'm still half asleep. Besides what's wrong with the way I talk I always talk to Remus like that. I felt insulted so I crossed my arms against my chest and promptly glared at him._

"_I'm sorry how rude of me I forgot you're supposed to be the man of my dreams. Should I kiss your feet first or should I just jump you." You could probably hear the sarcasm dripping from my voice. I was not in the mood I was hungry and sleepy, I was so not happy._

"_Wonderful, no darling you can just have your dirty way with me whenever you want."My eyes had turned wide and if anyone else was around they would tell you that I had looked at him, as if he had grown another head. I don't know if he ever realized that maybe he was dropped on the head when he was a baby._

"_Are you insane Remus is nothing like that if you are going to continue being an idiot I'm leaving."_

"_But we were having such great progress. Now bow down to the love of your-*bam.*" I had promptly had enough having to listen to his stupidity so I threw him one of the couch pillows and left to see if I could at least get some breakfast._

I remembered we spent two days of so called art of conversation which usually resulted with me smacking James on the head. By the third day James thought it would be better to bring Sirius for the next stage of the lessons I groaned at the memory…

"_Ok Emily I think you're ready for the next step which is the art of flirtation Sirius here is going to teach you." I could only stare at them to be honest I have never flirted before. I know that a lot of girls flirt and are experts and since I'm a girl I should already be programmed to flirt. Unfortunately I'm still a child at heart therefore I don't even have the slightest idea as to the workings of using my feminine charms._

"_So show us what you can do. What are your usual tricks." I felt my face turn red I had only heard of such things as flirting or any type of romance through books. Just the thought of a hug made me blush okay I'll admit it I'm so screwed._

"_Um there's a problem…I uh…how should I put it." I was afraid of their reactions because to be perfectly honest I was afraid they would laugh. Or worse decide I was a hopeless cause and find another girl that would better suit Remus._

"_What problem? Whatever it is, we can work on it so just spit it out."_

"_I don't know how to flirt. I have never even had my first kiss." The reactions that I received, where not the ones that I had expected at all. James just looked confused while Sirius looked absolutely delighted._

"_That's wonderful so you're the innocent type which is perfect." I was completely confused I wasn't sure whether I should feel proud or insulted at his insinuation of me being naïve._

"_I don't understand how is that supposed to be a good thing."_

"_Well think of it this way there are four types of girls when it comes to flirting. There is the expert which can be the down fall of any inexperienced male. Then there is the experienced flirt who goes for any guy, which works only sometimes. Then there is the regular type who thinks they know how to flirt then they chicken out. Finally there are the innocent types that flirt without being conscious of their actions; those are the ones that can only get the most experienced males to their knees." I was still confused were we still talking about me because if that's the case I don't think I belong in any of those categories. I had opened my mouth to ask him repeat what he had just said; since I think I might have misheard what he said but he interrupted me._

"_This is great I knew you were perfect for Remus but now the question is how to use it to our advantage."_

"_Wait padfoot I have an idea. Why don't we take them to Honeydukes __**(sorry if I miss spelled it)**__?_

"_Prongs have I ever told you that you're a bloody genius. That's perfect but first we should train her on making sure she acts as natural as possible. Besides we need to finish the rest of the lessons first."_

We had spent at least three days working on my so called innocent charm. By the middle of the following week I was exhausted annoyed and worried. Since I had spent so many nights without much sleep Remus had begun to get a little suspicious. In all honesty I was surprised he hadn't figured it out since day one I mean they do share a common room didn't he ever wonder where they went so early in the morning. I can still clearly remember that morning when he began to question all three of us. I was so scared all I had wanted to do at the moment was run and dig myself a grave.

_It was the first morning I had made it to the hall on time to get some breakfast. I was so ecstatic at the prospect of getting breakfast that I failed to notice how James and Sirius had managed to steer me in the direction of the Griffindor table. If I would have known what was going to happen I would have probably tried to run for the hills._

_When we reached the table we saw Remus and Wormtail at the table. According to Sirius and James, Wormtail had been playing as the decoy to keep Remus from finding out anything. Later on they would find out that choosing Peter for the job was a bad idea._

"_Padfoot, Prongs, mind telling me what's going on" At this point I had been about to put a spoon full of cereal into my mouth when I heard him direct his question towards them. I was scared I was afraid he would hate me for even being part of such a ridiculous plan._

"_I don't understand what you mean Moony?" Sirius always the first to jump into action and defend himself; especially when he knows he's guilty of whatever they happen to be accusing him of. This caused Remus to lift an eyebrow; clearly letting him know that he was not an idiot and that both of them new damn well that he was lying._

"_So you mean to tell me that waking up at 5 in the morning is nothing. That sneaking off early in the morning to find Emily and taking her into a certain room is nothing." At this point I was choking on my cereal I wasn't sure what to do I was looking from James/Sirius to Remus. Both parties looked completely stubborn both unwilling to yield._

"_So you've been stalking us now Moony I didn't know you where the type. I must say we've been rubbing off on you. I'm impressed although it seems you don't know what we were doing since you're clearly asking. I'm not sure if we should tell you or let you find out on your own." Ok now I know that James was dropped on the head. Is he crazy this is Remus if he wants to find out he will one way or another._

"_You have two choices whether you can tell me yourselves or I can find out on my own either way I'm going to find out before we go to class." I had turned in the direction of both James and Sirius to see their scrunched up faces. It looked like they were considering on taking him up on his bluff or to say something before he finds out. Personally I was panicking inside I knew Remus there was no way he was bluffing oh why? Why did I have to fall in love with him? Damn him and his good looks he looks even better when he's being so serious._

"_You're bluffing." Okay its official both James and Sirius have been dropped on the head when they were babies. Oh Merlin why couldn't Sirius just keep his mouth shut._

"_Is that you're decision fine then." He then turned his gaze towards me I could feel James and Sirius go rigid at my side. I had the decency to gulp instead of cower under the table like my instincts where telling me to do at that very moment._

"_Emily what have the three of you been doing every morning in the room of requirement." He had whispered the last part but I had heard him clearly I could feel my heart thumping at the base of my throat. I was not prepared for this I was never strong enough to deny Remus anything. The sad part was that Remus wasn't aware of the affect he had on me he always assumed I was just too nice to lie to anyone._

"_I uh (I had glanced in Sirius's direction for some help)-." Two hands where promptly clamped on my mouth both belonging to James and Sirius._

"_Hey that's not fair Moony."_

"_I don't see how asking Emily about what's been going on is unfair?" The look that Remus had sent James was so irresistible I absolutely adore him._

"_Fine you win Moony we'll tell you" I was as shocked as Sirius was what in the blazes was James thinking he couldn't possibly be thinking of telling him the truth. Remus seemed to be a little surprised but you could tell he was still a little suspicious. I mean this is James we're talking about he doesn't give up especially not this fast. Sirius was the first of the both of us to snap out of it he then proceeded to kick James in the shins. James in return jabbed Sirius in the ribs._

"_As I was saying you win Moony. Most importantly you have very right to know what we have been up to these past few weeks we've…" He had placed a hand to pass it through his hair which is a clear indication of his discomfort. Oh no he is going to say it I can't watch I'm too scared about the outcome. He took a deep breath and let it out…_

_Ps: Sorry it's a cliffhanger normally I only write 1000 words but this time I went way overboard so I figured leaving it here was ok._


	3. Chapter 3

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 3**

**First of I would like to say thanks to all the helpful commentary. As you can you I changed the summary hopefully that helps. Anyways if you still have trouble reading I apologize ahead of time.**

"_As I was saying you win Moony. Most importantly you have every right to know what we have been up to these past few weeks we've…" He had placed a hand to pass it through his hair which is a clear indication of his discomfort. Oh no he is going to say it I can't watch I'm too scared about the outcome. He took a deep breath and let it out…_

"_Sirius and I have been-."He had been promptly cut off by the presence of someone I least expected to see. Everyone at the table had gotten tense when they had seen her approach all of them locating their own respective wands ready to strike. I wasn't sure why everyone was so tense I mean sure she was a Slytherin but we were in the Great Hall she wouldn't attack us right. While I was contemplating my own internal questions I failed to notice the hostile look she had sent my way._

"_Oh my I think something reeks, oh it's only you five I guess that explains the smell. Although you could probably use perfume to cover the smell unfortunately that still not enough to save the rest of the torture of having to see you're faces." The hatred practically dripped from her voice. She didn't even pretend to hide her disgust for them._

"_Bellatrix, so the rumors are true you do look uglier up close." She sent her death glare in the direction of Sirius._

"_Don't speak to me like we're the same. Look at you the black stain of one of the strongest wizarding family's to ever exist." She had snarled the last words with disdain and hatred towards Sirius. I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. All I could think about is that they didn't seem to like each other very much. When I was about to ask them in order to confirm my suspicions I was cut off by James's words._

"_In case you didn't know you're not welcomed here I suggest you leave or I can make you." At his words she directed her look in the direction of James. She had placed a sinister smile I don't know why but I didn't like the look she had sent James. It seemed too evil to be considered as anything remotely normal._

"_Potter always the first to defend this pathetic excuse of a wizard if only you had been more like us the Blacks. Oh well I guess it's a waste to think of things that can't be changed." She had sent a coy smile in the direction of James._

"_Just tell us what you want so you can be on your way." She then turned her eyes towards Remus. This just made me even more uncomfortable I didn't like the way she was looking at him. The coy smile was then being directed at Remus, I just wanted her to leave. Remus just returned her look not even backing down from the underlying threat in her eyes._

"_Always the reasonable one of the group I see, you haven't changed much have you Lupin. I just came to confirm __**something**__ with my own eyes." She replied coyly, at her words everyone seemed to turn a bit stiff the only that hadn't been affected was Remus. He was always the calmer one of the group._

"_Oh what might that be?" It didn't sound like he was really asking it was more like he wanted to confirm something. I was just completely confused as to what was going on. At his words she had turned her eyes in my direction. In response I began to look around me to find out what she was looking at. I couldn't find what she was looking at I wanted to ask but again I was cut off but this time by Bellatrix._

"_Oh I just I heard a few things here and there that the Marauders had found __**something **__new to play with. I just wanted to see for myself if this new interest of yours was worth anything I have to say I'm quite disappointed." I wasn't exactly sure what happened since I still can't find what she had been looking at. Unfortunately everyone else seemed to know what she was talking about and had reacted rather violently. The one that had surprised me the most had been Remus._

_One moment they were just standing there sizing each other up. In the next both James and Sirius had blocked my view of Bellatrix while Remus had sprung up from his seat and had his wand directed right at her along with Sirius and James. Wormtail on the other hand looked just as confused as me._

_Apparently their actions had caused the smile on Bellatrix face to widen._

"_I think it's time that you left, Bellatrix." I hadn't noticed that I had stopped breathing from all the tension in the air until Remus sooth voice had calmed me down a bit._

"_You're probably right I already got what I came for. I guess I'll be seeing you around right Thompson." I wasn't sure how to respond to that I wasn't even aware that she knew my name. So I just gave an unsure reply._

"_Sure I guess." I don't think that was the right response since her smile only increased further. I felt like I was being suffocated from all of the tension in the air. Once she had left I had released the air I had been holding in._

I can still remember that confrontation like if it was imprinted into my mind. After that day I had seemed to find at least one Marauder everywhere I went. I have yet to confirm if this is just a coincidence either way I don't like being constantly caught off guard. Not to mention that James's lessons hadn't stopped even though we had almost been caught by Remus. The last lessons where the worst I think my hatred for both Sirius and James had only increased.

"_Ok I think it's time for your last lessons." I was seated at a table with an empty plate in front of me and with the regular utensils on the side._

"_Um guys don't you two think we should just stop I mean isn't Remus already suspicious." I was just a little worried ok scratch that I was terrified. I did not want to confront Remus again. I don't think I could handle him looking at me with hatred or worse disapproval._

"_Don't worry he's more preoccupied with something else at the moment. Anyways today you we will be teaching you proper etiquette." I wasn't sure if I should be thankful or pissed at the implication that I didn't know how to eat properly._

"_I know how to eat."_

"_Rule number 1: Stop sulking."_

"_I'm not sulking I'm just annoyed." Ok so what if I was sulking they didn't have to insult me. I know they are just trying to help but this was just a low blow to my pride._

"_Ok now I'm going to place this in front of you so I want you to eat like a lady." I just glared hatefully at them and began to cut a piece of my steak. When Sirius's hand stopped part of me wanted to bite his hand out of the way so I could eat. Didn't they know how much I love food they should not under any circumstances get in the way of me and my food._

"_Wrong you're supposed to let the guy cut and feed you." I had received disapproving looks from the two of them. I was not happy they had taken me away during lunch with the excuse of a professor needing some help. Remus hadn't seemed completely convinced but for some reason the moment Bellatrix had entered the Great Hall; he had forced me into their direction. I wanted to protest since I was soo hungry._

"_Oh yeah and what if I just use this fork instead to get rid of two wizards that have been depriving me of my precious food." Apparently neither had seemed to hear my threat when they continued to remove the plate in front of me to replace it with a bigger plate full of desserts. My eyes lighted up at all the precious sweets that were being presented in front of me. As my hand was reaching for the nearest dessert my hand had been smacked right of the way._

"_No bad Emily." I wanted to kill them all I could do was sooth my hand as I pouted. I wanted to jinx them until next Wednesday. I had to remind myself that they were just trying to help. I just needed to stay calm and breathe in and out I-_

_James had grabbed the pastry I had been about to get and was now munching on it. "You can't just grab sweets girls are not supposed to eat these you are supposed to like salad-." I had cut him off from his sexist speech as I promptly tackled him to the ground with my hands around his throat._

"_*cough* Sirius help *ugh* me." All I could see was red how dare he eat in front of me and deny me from eating any._

"_Emily I think you skipped a step you're only supposed to jump on the guy on the third date."_

If you're wondering whether I murdered James or not I didn't so any fans out there can rest assured he made it out alive. I had let him go when he had stuffed the pastry into my mouth. I had almost chocked but I was happy it was worth it. After that day we spent two more days working on my so called etiquette when they had decided that I was done. Which brings me to my current predicament since I had finished with my lessons they assumed it was time for step two of the plan.

I know I had initially liked stepped two but I hadn't really thought about it much. Step two was to go on a date with Remus without him knowing it was an actual date. To say that I was only a little freaked out would be a huge understatement there was absolutely no way that I was prepared for this.

That is why at the moment I was trying my hardest in avoiding both James and Sirius. I had made sure to cover my tracks there was no way in hell that they would find me. I had made sure not to tell anyone where I was going. I can safely hide out here in one of the empty wings of the castle without anyone finding me.

My body had slumped down against one of the farthest walls and I was about to close my eyes when I heard the door open.

"There you are Emily. What are you doing up here anyways?" I could only stare in absolute horror as I saw both James and Sirius standing right in front of me.

"How- I don't – who-I?" I know that I'm not making much sense but come on there was no way they had found me this fast.

"What are talking about? Don't tell me you were trying to hide from us did you forget we have the Marauders map." I had promptly smacked myself on the forehead for that one. I had completely forgotten about the stupid map. Oh why did Remus have to be so smart! It should be illegal for someone so handsome to be that smart.

They didn't wait for my answer as they began to drag me from the room and take me towards the room of requirement. After they had so called picked the perfect outfit which to be honest I didn't hate. They had given me a nice jean skirt that was decent with a pair of flats along with a plain yellow T-shirt. It was pretty comfortable I was just a little worried that I looked too simple. Then James and Sirius helped me put my hair in a high ponytail with small strands framing my face. After they had finished they had began to drag me out into the grounds not many people where out since it was a bit chilly outside considering that it was the beginning of fall.

I had looked out onto the grounds and I could see Remus sitting under the shade of a tree while he helped Peter with his homework. Just by looking at him I could feel my stomach turn into knots. What I really wanted to do was run back inside but both James and Sirius where preventing me from doing so. By the time we had reached them my palms where already beginning to sweat.

"Hello Moony, Wormtail." At James and Sirius's words both Remus and Wormtail nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hello Emily." My cheeks began to turn red at the attention Remus was giving me.

"Hi Remus, Peter." I turned to Peter to try to calm the blush that had spread across my cheeks.

"Hey" Peter didn't even look up from his parchment he seemed to be having a lot of trouble with his potions essay.

"Hey Wormtail if you want you can read my essay if you're still having trouble." Peter's face had lightened up at James's offer since he was still having trouble understanding Remus's essay.

"Really thanks."

"No problem come we can do it now to get it over with." With that both James and Peter had left leaving only the three of us.

"That reminds me I haven't finished mine darn it." Sirius had begun to silently curse although I don't blame since it was due first thing in the morning.

"I don't see why you're so surprised considering that you tend to always leave things at the last moment." Remus replied with a knowing smile on his face.

"Oh really Moony I will have you know that I am a very responsible person." At this statement all three of us had ended up laughing.

"Fine you win Moony you're right I do leave things at the last moment but that's only because I find a small thrill of having so little time." With that last comment Sirius had disappeared along with the other two into the castle leaving me completely alone with Remus.

"You can sit down if you want." The smile that Remus had sent my way had almost caused my knees to buckle. I had completely forgotten that I had been standing the entire time. I then slowly went and sat down next to Remus with enough space between us. We just sat there for a moment when I became curious as to what Remus was reading. Being the nosy person I am I tried to read over his shoulder I didn't know that he had noticed until he spoke.

"I was trying to see if it was possible to create away to store things into smaller container so that it can be easier to carry around." He had turned his head to the side to look at me I could feel the blush of embarrassment at being caught begin to color my cheeks.

"Sorry I didn't mean to be nosy." He just smiled at my reaction.

"There's nothing to be sorry about being curious is not a bad thing would you like to read it." My face had lightened up at his offer I was so glad that he wasn't mad about me being nosy. I quickly accepted his offer and began to read from the beginning. I had to admit the idea of being able to store things in smaller compartments would be a life saver.

I was so entranced with the book I had failed to notice how Remus had been reading over my shoulder the entire time.

"It's interesting the theories they put I was thinking of trying a few I know Sirius would love that the most." My heart nearly jumped out my chest when I had felt him speak quietly into my ear. I had jumped so fast that I didn't have enough time to find my balance which had caused me to fall into a pile of leaves with the book on my head. I was beyond mortified for a moment I seriously considered changing my name and changing schools. That was when I heard a small chuckle coming in the direction of Remus. I had turned to see if my ears where betraying me but right in front of me I saw Remus laughing. I felt my cheeks turn even redder.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you are you ok?" He had gotten up and offered me a hand to help me stand up. I don't know how long I had just stood there starting at his laughing face he just looked so happy. I was just too shocked most of the time he looked so worn out and so much older. I was just so used to him being serious all the time I hadn't expected him to laugh so whole heartedly. I won't lie I had seen him laugh before but not like this.

That's when I saw his hand reach out towards me I was still in shock that I didn't even bother to move. He then took something from my hair and retracted his hand. When I saw what he had taken from my hair I felt my cheeks grow warmer there had been a leaf stuck in my hair. So much for James's lessons on being graceful I obviously learned nothing. When I finally was able to snap out of it I didn't realize what I said until I had already said it.

"Yeah I'm fine I just need food!" I could practically hear both Sirius and James's lectures on what I had just said. I was under no circumstances supposed to mention food in front of Remus…

"_I don't understand why I'm not allowed to mention food in front of Remus." I replied as calmly as possible._

"_Need we remind you that you almost choked me to death for a pastry!" He practically yelled into my face._

"_That was in no way my fault you shouldn't have eaten in front of me." I huffed back in defiance._

"_Oh really what about that time you almost bit my hand off or the time you tackled that girl for taking the last cupcake." My face had reddened in embarrassment it was true I had hoped they would let me forget that small little episode. It didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon._

I promptly flinched at the memory. "We can go into the Castle I'm sure I have some treats in the dorm since I doubt it's time for dinner yet." He looked like he was trying to think of some way to help me get what I wanted. Remembering the yelling I received from both Sirius and James I began to panic.

"No! I mean what I meant was maybe I just need to walk around a bit. Maybe sitting down for so long made me a little disoriented." He didn't seem completely convinced but he complied either way and led me to walk around the lake.

"So do you mind telling me what you three have been up to these past few days?" I became completely stiff at his question I wasn't sure what to do since I didn't have James or Sirius to help me this time around. I was afraid to face him what was I going to say. I could see him look at me curiously waiting for me to answer. I had to say something quick but what I took a deep breath in and decided that saying part of the truth was ok.

"They have been giving me lessons on how to be a girl." I replied in a small voice I hunched my shoulders and waited for some form of verbal attack but none came.

"Oh is that so odd I didn't know Sirius liked to get in touch with his feminine side." He had laughed again at his own statement. I then realized that what I said probably sounded a bit weird. I blushed again for the hundredth time that afternoon. This was getting ridiculous couldn't I just control my emotions for one night.

"It's not what you think they were just trying to help me." I quickly replied hoping that could better explain what I had meant with my previous statement.

"Is that why you're wearing this outfit." I could see the mirth twinkling in his blue eyes. That just made me become more embarrassed I wasn't sure how to answer that. Although it didn't seem like I had to.

"Regardless I think you look really nice. We should probably start heading off to the castle it's probably dinner time and I'm sure you must be hungry." He had sent me one last smile that had my heart thumping like crazy. I couldn't trust myself to answer so I just followed him into the castle.

Ps: please Review thanks for the reviews and criticism I appreciate a lot so don't hesitate to tell me if anything is wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 4**

**Okay you people need to REVIEW PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE **

"Okay spill." I could only blink at both Sirius and James I was still out of it I had spent an entire afternoon with Remus alone. I had loved every second of it. I still couldn't believe that it had just happened yesterday. I had been spacing out for the rest of the night. I hadn't even realized I had gone to sleep until I was promptly woken up by both James and Sirius.

At the moment I was being questioned by the two of them as to what happened yesterday.

"Earth to Emily, hey snap out of it will you." A part of me registered James's hands being waved in front of my face.

"Blimey she's completely out of it mate." Part of me was listening to what they were saying while the other part of me was somewhere else lost in my thoughts.

"I guess we aren't getting any answers out of her at the moment. What should we do now Padfoot the plan obviously went well." James let out a sigh as he sat down on an armchair across from me.

"Of course it went well Prongs. The problem is we don't know how well it went." He began to try to shake me out of my stupor.

"Wha- hey Sirius watch it that hurts." It had felt like I was getting whiplashed from all the shaking.

"Finally we were wondering when you would come back to us. So tell us what happened and don't leave out any details. James and I were only able to see what happened." My eyes widened in horror at Sirius's confession.

"You two were watching?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course we were watching we saw everything. From the point you two got all cuddly then when you fell on the leaves until you two entered the castle." I had been so shocked I didn't know what to say my cheeks had reddened when he mentioned how they saw me fall. I groaned again I had hoped that the only person who saw was Remus.

"You guys saw that please don't mention it. I didn't mean to fall I was just caught off guard." I buried my face into my hands trying to hide my mortification of the situation.

"Relax you did great so tell us how it went did you confess." I looked up all I could do at the moment was to stare at them as if they had grown another head. Are these two insane there was no way that I could possible confess just thinking about it makes me feel dizzy.

"Of course not are you two insane I can't do that." James just looked at me like he didn't have the slightest idea as to why I couldn't. Sirius on the other hand looked more annoyed with my answer.

"Oh and why not?" Please someone tell me Sirius isn't honestly asking me this.

"That's because I just can't look it's just not possible okay."

"No it's not okay **I **don't understand why you can't. I mean I thought you loved Remus or were we wrong?"

"Of course I love Remus that's not what I meant. You can't expect me to express my feelings just like that I don't want to be rejected. It's not as easy as you two might think."

"So you're never going to tell him."

"Look it's not like I'm never going to tell him. I just want to tell him when I'm ready. Just give me some time to control these feelings then I will okay."

"Fine well if we aren't going to proceed any further let's talk about some important plans that are coming up shall we." I was confused I wasn't aware that we had some other business to attend to. James seemed to know since he jumped out of his seat with a huge grin on his face.

"Come on we have to go find Wormtail and Moony." The two of them proceeded to drag me towards the Great Hall. Seriously all this dragging is starting to get on my nerves I feel like a damn doll for Merlin's sake.

The moment we entered the Great Hall we went to where Remus and Peter were sitting. The moment we arrived Sirius went straight to the point.

"Halloween is coming up we need to do something big." I nearly smacked myself I had completely forgotten that Halloween was coming up. I hadn't realized that so much time had passed.

"I thought you might, I was thinking that we should all come up with something. Then just combine it to make one huge spectacle."

"You're absolutely right Moony we need to make this better than last year."

I remembered what happened last year I wasn't sure how they were going to top it. I'm not sure how they pulled it off but that was probably one of the most memorable moments. I can still remember my surprise I could see everyone was as shocked as I was. I'm not even sure how they managed to get away with that one. It had happened on the day of Halloween…

_I was just sitting there along with my fellow classmates as they chatted amongst themselves. The Great Hall was full of students all of them talking and celebrating. That was when huge bangs were heard against the large doors of the Great Hall. Everything went silent and everyone looked expectantly towards the large oak doors._

_When another bang was heard a few of the students arose from their seats. Others withdrew their wands ready to protect themselves. I had looked in the direction of the headmaster who only smiled with a knowing look. The look he had calmed me down. If the headmaster was so at ease then it can't be a huge problem. As I was lost in my own thoughts the others around me began to look more fearful._

_At that moment the doors opened with a large bang and the ghost came barging in. All of them sporting their own battle cry then from the other side of the room another huge bang opened. The two huge oak doors opened to reveal a bunch of other darker figures who charged in the direction of the ghosts. It was spectacular each of the figures glowed in their own distinct color._

_There was red, grey, yellow and blue it was absolutely magical at the moment of contact the cloaked figures burst into their respective colors forming an animal. I could see a stag, dog, mouse and wolf run across over head like shooting stars; finally disappearing into the night only leaving their sparkling colors of dust to fall on the students. At first it looked like glitter falling from the sky I held out my hand and saw the sparkled dust become treats._

_I'm not sure how they did it but they had made candy fall from the sky I think it was the first time I had smiled so openly._

I hadn't realized that had been smiling at the memory until I felt the eyes of the Marauders on me.

"Emily are you remembering something." Sirius, he was always the first to jump at the opportunity of finding out something new and interesting. Also for some reason he seemed to always know what someone was thinking.

"Actually yes I was remembering you're show from last year. It was amazing I still haven't forgotten that day. It feels like it had just happened yesterday." Apparently James loved my response since his smile widened.

"Hey guys I think I have a great idea." All of us turned to James whenever he had an idea it always ended up becoming spectacular. Once he made sure he had all of our attention he proceeded to tell us his great idea.

"I think we should let Emily come up with this one." My eyes could only widen he couldn't possibly be serious. I mean yes I was used to going along with their various pranks but I had never come up with one myself. I was sure that the others would agree that it would be a horrible idea to put me in charge.

"I think your right Prongs I think we should leave the preparations up to Emily and Moony. What do you say Moony."

"I think it's a splendid idea. What do you think Emily are you up for it?" I wasn't sure how to respond I was scared of screwing up. At the same time I couldn't say no to him when he was looking at me like that. So in response I let out a short breath of surrender. It seemed like there was nothing I wouldn't do for Remus.

"Okay I'll do it but I'm not going to make any promises. I can't guarantee that it will come out as anything close to what you four came up with the year before." It seemed that they were fine with my answer as we proceeded to head off to class.

You're probably wondering why I hadn't mentioned my lessons much I can tell you right now that you wouldn't be interested. The reason behind that was that most of the time I spent spacing out. You would think that I would spend my entire time dreaming about Remus. Well all I can say is that I wish my attention span was big enough to allow me to fantasize about him but like I said I wish. Not a lot of people know this but my attention span is horrible.

For the life of me I could only wish that I was able to listen to our Professor. I mean she is amazing after all it seems kind of weird coming from me but I respect Professor McGonagall. She's quick with her spells and she's neutral, she never plays favorites. I have to admit that is one of the things I admire the most. The reason why I saw this is so you can understand why I struggle so much with myself in order to pay attention. I know she knows that I tend to space out she has called me out on it before.

Like I said I don't have control over my own mind which tends to like to wonder off. At the moment I was sitting in one of the desks in a row closest to the front of the class. At the moment she was explaining the art of transforming objects into animals at will. During our first year we were only able to turn our quills into a bird.

This year she was showing us how to transform bigger objects. It was supposed to be complicated since the person casting the spell had to be completely focused. I had started out with paying close attention to the professor when my eyes began to wonder off in a different direction. For some reason I found a statue of a bird quite fascinating. My eyes were beginning to imagine the bird contorting into a different image when I received a nudge on the side from the person sitting next to me.

At the moment I couldn't remember her name I was always bad at remembering people's names. She had passed me a note I turned to see who sent the note. It looked like it had come from one of the Slytherins. I looked down to read the note...

**Go to the terrace on the west wing and tell no one.**

I could only stare at the note and wondered if it was a good thing to go or not. The note had no name but by knowing that a Slytherin had sent it was enough evidence that it wasn't good. I knew that if I told anyone then I would have to pay the consequences. To be quite honest I was scared I didn't want to go alone. I have never been very brave in my life maybe that was one of the reasons I didn't get sorted into Gryffindor.

I hadn't realized how scared I was until I heard the bell ring indicating the end of the lesson. It was one of the last lessons for today since my last class was postponed for next week. I gathered my books and tried to make my way to the girl's bathroom quickly. Luckily when I arrived everyone else had gone to class or to their respective dorms. I needed time to think of whether or not I should go to the meeting place.

The first thing that crossed my mind was that I couldn't let the Marauders know. I didn't want them to get involved in my own personal problems. I knew I was a coward but there was no way that I was going to get them worried. Especially over something that didn't have to do with them. I'm not sure how I managed it but I had managed to drag myself to the meeting point.

To be quite honest I wasn't sure who to expect my mind was running through all the different possibilities. I tried to calm myself down and tried to focus instead on trying to prepare myself for the unexpected.

The moment I reached the terrace I looked around to see who the one that had sent the note was. I didn't see anything and just when I was about to turn around and leave I felt a pair hands clamped onto my eyes to prevent me from seeing.

"Don't turn around and don't speak just listen." It wasn't a request whoever it was sounded like they were in a hurry. I could feel his wand poking at my side as a silent warning to listen to what he had to say. I only nodded in response.

"I just want you to deliver a message. I want you to tell-." He was cut off by voice belonging to someone other than the two of us.

"Let her go Regulus." A big part of me was relieved that someone else had shown up. After hearing her Regulus ended up pushing on the floor at his feet.

"This has nothing to do with you Evans." This was the first time I had seen Lily up close. She was famous for always for helping those who needed it. There had been times when she had even gone against James and Sirius when they picked on Snape.

"I think it does since it looks like you were harassing her just a few moments ago." They just stared at each other waiting to see who would yield first when Regulus dropped his stare.

"One of these days Evans, you'll regret getting into other people's business. I'll see you around Thompson." Once he had left Lily came to my side to offer me her hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah thanks by the way. How did you know I was up here?"

"I saw you coming this way after class. I wanted to give this back to you since you accidentally dropped it on your way here." I looked down to see what I had dropped. Apparently I had dropped the book that Remus had lent me a few days ago.

"Oh god thanks so much I can't believe I dropped it."

"No problem by the way your name is Emily am I right, my names Lily, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here-wait what time is it." I had remembered that I was supposed to meet with Remus at six I had completely forgotten. We were supposed to start working on our little Halloween project. I just hoped that I wasn't too late.

"I think it's almost six why?" My eyes had widened I couldn't believe it I just hoped that Remus would forgive me.

"I'm late I'm sorry Lily but I have to go. Thanks again I'll see you around."

"Sure bye" I could hear her call out to me as I ran down the corridors. It was supposed to be the first time we would get together to begin planning.

By the time I had reached the room of requirement I was out of breath and starving.

"*huff* I'm sorry *huff* I didn't meant to *huff* be late." That was how I made my grand entrance into the room of requirement. I could see Remus sitting on one of the couches with different types of books spread out. I expected him to be angry or to yell at me instead he gave me a small smile.

"It's okay if you're hungry there are some treats on that table over there." I could feel my eyes water in appreciation, at this moment it felt like my love for Remus would explode. In a blink of an eye I was in front of the table and devouring the delectable deserts. In think it was around my fourth dish that I realized what I had done.

I could practically feel the glares that James and Sirius were sending me through their minds. I was afraid to turn around to see Remus's reaction. I could practically imagine his disgust at how un-lady like I looked I couldn't help it. My brain shuts down when there is food within my vicinity. I had completely frozen mid bite when I heard Remus's laughter from across the room.

"I guess you must have been hungry." I turned slowly and only gave a small nod since I could feel my blush turn a couple of shades darker.

"Sorry I didn't mean to do that I just get a little out of control when it comes to food." Remus just shook his head at my words.

"There is nothing to be sorry about I like you the way you are." I could feel myself turned into a complete tomato I don't think he even realized what he said.

After I was able to get over my shyness we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting together. We went through different books trying to come up with the craziest ideas. We spent most of the afternoon joking around and exchanging stories.

During the rest of the week and the following week we proceeded to continue with this little ritual. I remember that every day I would practically jump out of my seat in order to get to our usually meeting place. The room of requirement became my own personal sanctuary because in that room I could forget my worries. In that room it was just Remus and me nothing else and that's all that mattered at the moment. I was content that it was just Remus and me for me it was enough.

I remembered how during that week I was able to get rid of my shyness little by little bit. We would joke and trade stories sometimes we would forget about the time. Time didn't seem to exist in our little sanctuary. Some of the stories he told me about had to do with some of the adventures that the Marauders went on. I was shocked that they hadn't gotten themselves killed from all the crazy things they did.

Yet there was one day out of all the rest that I loved the most I'm not entirely sure why. Part of me believed it had to do with the moment maybe the setting. There were a number of reasons that could explain why I loved that moment the most. It happened on a Saturday we didn't have any pranks going on therefore we agreed to spend the day making finishing touches on our grand Halloween surprise. The other Marauders didn't seem to mind James was busy with Quidditch since new recruits were being brought in. Sirius on the other hand was busy breaking hearts left and right. Wormtail on the other hand was stuck with professor Flitwick on improving his spell work.

Like always we ended up losing track of time the only difference this time was that we had asleep. I could feel my cheeks burn at the memory…

_This feels so comfortable I don't think I want to ever wake up. Wait a minute why am I sleeping what's going on. That's when I felt movement underneath my head._

_Since when do pillows breathe? What in the blazes is going on? Maybe if I close my eyes hard enough I'll wake up in my own bed. Maybe I'm even imagining things. Okay maybe I completely lost it._

_I wasn't sure I wanted to open my eyes but I did. I blinked a few times to get the blurriness out of the way. The first thing to register into my mind was that this was not my dorm. Therefore that could only mean one thing I must still be in the room of requirement. But if that's true then I must have fallen asleep. I look and notice that I must have fallen asleep on the couch._

_I was fine with that but what made me completely freeze not to mention make me forget how to breathe. The issue was not where but on what I fell asleep on or in this case on whom. There right in front of my own face was the peaceful face of Remus. I could feel my eyes grow the size of quaffle balls. I was afraid to move. I wasn't even sure what to do in a situation such as this one._

_It wasn't the first time I had cursed myself for getting myself in situations such as these. Just when I thought I was going to lose it my eyes fell on the sleeping face of Remus. It was the first time I had seen him look so peaceful. He looked so unreal for a moment I was afraid that I was dreaming and that soon I would wake up and he would vanish._

_I'm not sure what it was that made me do it but I lifted my hand towards his face. I had never had the opportunity of being this close to him. A part of me was thrilled at the chance of being able to be with him like this. I think there was a small part of me that wondered how his skin felt like under my finger tips. I tried to keep my breathing as even as possible because I felt that if I shifted in the slightest that he would vanish. I didn't want him to vanish I wanted him to stay with me as long as possible._

_When my fingertips reached their destination I had to hold in a small gasp. My imagination was nothing compared to this feeling. His skin was soft and warm I was afraid that he would disappear. There was a part of my mind that registered how my hand held his cheek in my palm. He was breathing evenly he must have been exhausted. _

_Somewhere in my mind I registered that always around this time we would seem more exhausted. I think it had to do with whatever it was they did every month. I never bothered asking I knew that everyone has secrets after all I had one of my own. Everyone needed to keep their own secret that's how people are._

_My fingertips had made their way down his jaw I was completely entranced at the texture of his skin. I wanted to feel his lips the lips I would dream about. I remember how so many times I would dream for a fairytale ending._

_Oh why couldn't I have a normal romance? I'm not exactly sure how long we stayed that way but I practically jumped two feet in the air when I heard voices outside. It seemed that the Marauders came looking for us._

_When they opened the door they froze all sporting their own weird expression at what they saw. I could only imagine how I looked since in my shock I fell to the ground. I think I had grabbed the table cloth in order to regain some balance I forgot that we had left our pumpkin juice on the table. So it ended up spilling on top of my head._

"_Uh-wha-what happened? Actually I don't want to know." James was the first one to recover when he had entered he had sported a look of complete shock and confusion. Sirius on the other hand had a very suspicious smirk crossing his face. Wormtail just looked completely displeased._

"_Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail what are you three doing here." Apparently Remus had also woken up I felt like I was a child who was caught red handed. I didn't realize that Remus was awake I didn't even want to know how long he had been awake._

"_We'll we had come to see if you two made any progress. We just didn't think that you two where making this kind of progress." I could feel myself turn into a ripe tomato. Curse Sirius and his boldness._

"_Maybe we should come back later." I could feel my face drain of color I dint want them to leave me alone to deal with such an embarrassing situation._

"_No! Wait don't leave. Actually we have finished and we just have to set things up." I was perfectly aware that I was covered in pumpkin juice but Peter didn't have to give me a dirty look. Excuse me for getting so freaked out._

"_Um okay." James and uncertain step forward. What in the blazes was wrong with these three._

That had happened a few days ago I took me a while to convince James to lose his frightened posture. It took me a longer time to convince Sirius that nothing had happened. Remus on the other hand was no help what so ever with his vague answers. Although I don't blame him see he only woke up when they came therefore had no idea as to why I was on the floor with pumpkin juice.

At the moment we where getting for our great spectacular. We had spent the last few days preparing the necessary spells and items we would need. To be perfectly honest I was a bit excited I could only hope the rest would love it as well.

A lot of things had happened during the last few days I had found a new friend in Lily. After that incident she became one of my closest friends. We would spend some time together whenever the Marauders weren't around. I had never imagined that I would befriend so many Gryffindors this year. It seemed that this year would end up becoming the most promising.

Ps: sorry I had to leave it here for those who want more romance and more actions well I can safely say that more is coming.

**Important note: For those who review will receive a sneak peak into further chapters so please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 5**

**I'm going to say this one more time please review. I know you don't think it would make much difference but believe me it does. If you like it then review!**

**I would like to say thanks to the following…**

**Echo Uchiha – you will be receiving the preview of the next chapter soon**

**Frozenxbullet**

**BlueSkies13**

The Great Hall was brightly lit with candles that floated up ahead. There where decorations all throughout the hall. The walls held up streamers with the colors black and orange. The tables were decorated with their own specific colors; green and silver for Slytherin, red and gold for Gryffindor; gray and blue for Ravenclaw, and finally black and yellow for Hufflepuff. The Hall was full of bustling, students all talking excited and couldn't seem to stand still. Rumors had been spread that the Marauders had come up with something even more spectacular.

It was night and the headmaster had just finished his grand speech for those students who are first years. The headmaster was always trying to offer them the best welcome possible; he knew what it was like to be in a new place surrounded by people who you didn't know. In a matter seconds the tables were covered with all kinds of food. Golden plates began to be filled with food, pumpkin juice was being poured into golden goblets.

As the chatter began to escalate, the louder the hall became. In that moment all the lights disappeared covering the hall in complete darkness. The hall then became deadly still not a single word was uttered. Then the soft sound of the Hall doors opening caused heads to turn. The great hall doors opened only to reveal five cloaked figures. All dressed in black robes but that's not what caused spoons to drop or small gasps that went around the Hall. It was their heads they weren't normal heads, normal heads weren't jack-o-lanterns their eyes glowed bright yellow. Their wide yellow grins made the first years cower while it entranced and fascinated those in 5th, 6th and 7th year.

Each of the figures dispersed, one at each end of every aisle. The five cloaked figures reached into their pockets taking out their respective wands and began their incantations. Two pairs released two leopards that let out sinister growls throughout the great hall. Another pair let out four big serpents while the last cloaked figure let out a swarm gargoyles. The moment the last spell was released the cloaked figures vanished leaving behind their black cloaks. The moment their black cloaks touched the ground they disappeared becoming bats that took flight. The creatures jumped and morphed creating two large dragons. The two dragons encircled one another until they crashed head on. At the moment of contact they blew up becoming miniature pumpkins that descended onto the tables each filled with all kinds of treats. The great hall had cheered and awed at the display of magic that was shown to them.

The five had gone back to the room of requirement after their little performance.

"That was bloody amazing, did you see their reactions I say three cheers for Emily." I was being showered with attention by all the Marauders. I was glad they liked it but honestly I couldn't take all the credit.

"No Sirius I don't deserve the praise it was all thanks to Remus who came up with the enchantments at the end."

"Are you kidding me the only thing I did was give you the resource. You're the one who came up with this entire show." I colored at Remus's praising words the past few days had helped me become closer to Remus but it still didn't help me control the feelings I have for him.

"Moony and Padfoot are right you are a bloody genius that was spectacular. I would actually do it again if Filch wasn't looking for us." He frowned at the last part but other than that James was completely delighted at how things turned out.

"Emily you are most definitely a full fledged Marauder. I think we should celebrate who's with me!"

We had spent the rest of the night eating all kinds of candy and drinking pumpkin juice. The following day I had decided to find Lily since the Marauders where gone again part of me wondered why they never asked me to go with them. I felt a little hurt that they didn't want to include me but a bigger part of me decided that I should leave things alone.

I found Lily in the library; lately our conversations were becoming more frequent. Sometimes I would find her alone with Snape. Lily had mentioned how they have been best of friends even before Hogwarts. It was a known fact that the majority of the Gryffindors hated the Slytherins. I had heard many things pertaining to the Slytherins. I have never been the type of person who liked to judge others because of what others tell me. Therefore it was quite easy for me to befriend Snape at first I thought he hated me since he would always give me a nasty look. It seemed that things had changed when I had ended up being partners with Snape for Herbology class.

When we had ended up being paired up as partners he assumed that I would let him do all the work. As a matter a fact I remember some of our encounters.

"_Now class today's lesson will be a little different, today I will be mixing the houses. It will be done randomly each of you will be paired of and given a plant to take care of. I expect all of you to give me a detailed report and to work hard."_

_She had placed all our names in a jar and with her wand she began to pull out names. When she called my name after Snape let's just say I wasn't paying attention. A friend of mine who was sitting next to me had jabbed me in the ribs I jumped and fell face first. Again I'm still not graceful after a few broken pots and angry glares from my professor I had reached Snape. I think we were both surprised at each other's reactions._

"_Hey my name is Emily as you might have heard, let's do our best." All he did was to stare at my hand like I was one of the weirdest things to ever walk on the face of the planet. I shuffled my feet a little bit waiting him to maybe give me some sign to indicate he was still alive. He blinked then raised an eyebrow followed with a small frown. I looked around myself to see what was wrong after a few minutes of looking around I found nothing when he finally spoke._

"_You're that girl that hangs out with Potter and his lackeys." I was a bit confused since I was used to calling James just James and the others the Marauders. I think I showed my confusion become he gave me an irritated look that suggested that he thought I was stupid. Just when I was about to give him a piece of my mind he ended up beating me to the chase._

"_Look just do your part and I'll do mine." I gave him a nod to tell him that I understood._

A few days following that day, ended up…well how should I put it? I think their can only be one word that would describe the events that happened afterwards they were a **disaster.** I was surprised he hadn't killed me and just ended both of our miseries.

"_Hand me the vile." I reached to grab the vile he was asking for. I could have gotten up to get it but I figured it would take longer so I reached for it instead._

_*Crash* Did I ever mention that I have short arms and that I was on my tiptoes while trying to reach for the vile. Did I also mention that right behind me was a vase filled with rare herbs. Let's just say that I think I should just change schools._

"_Oops," yup oops was not going to prevent professor Sprout from smacking me a new one._

Or that other time...

"_Hold it steady, make sure you stay focused. Do not under any circumstances move your wand." Snape's words left no room for arguments. At the moment I was hold up a vase using a levitation charm. We were supposed to transfer our plant into the new vase but the problem was that it had to be done in midair. Since the plant required a certain amount of elevation. He was holding our plant while I was supposed to make sure to keep it steady._

_I was determined to not look away and stay focused. No amount of food, threats or anything can keep me from concentrating. I would not fail I will stay focused and I will…_

"_Hey Emily, Remus asked me to give your book since you forgot it at the Great Hall this morning." That's all it took in that small moment she had mentioned Remus I had turned in her direction and the pot had fallen to the floor. I could only grimace at the sound of the shattered pot. I could practically feel the disbelief in Snape's eyes at what I had done. I could feel them morph into complete hatred. At the moment it didn't matter what professor Sprout would do to me for destroying another pot. I was more worried about Snape wanting to skin me alive._

"_Emily," I did not want to turn around I knew that if I even moved he would come at me like a predator after his prey. I didn't mean to, darn it this isn't fair. Oh why did she have to come in that precise moment?_

"_Snape I- Look I-."_

"_Run," I did not have to be told twice my feet ran right out of the greenhouse into the courtyard. I could hear him coming right behind me. This was not good I wanted to live a long life maybe get married to Remus under the stars. Okay maybe the last part was impossible but god darn it I was going to make sure I lived long enough to become old and wrinkly. That way I'll have an excuse to be mean to everyone and love chocolate. _

"_We can talk about this! It was an accident I'm sorry!" I was so preoccupied with Snape following me that I failed to see where I was going. Therefore I tripped and fell face first again. Snape had already reached me and was choking me._

"_That was the 5__th__ vase you've broken. What is wrong with you?" He finally released me and sprawled himself in the spot next to me while breathing as hard as I was. I was just glad that he hadn't killed me although I had expected him to use his wand not his hands. I was beginning to think that the reason people ended up wanting to kill me had to do with me._

"_You're a complete moron; you're clumsy, idiotic and funny." I was going to tell him off for calling me an idiot when he called me funny. I was shocked that when I realized he wasn't angry. It sounded like he was contemplating something._

"_I am not an idiot I can't help it if I'm clumsy."I felt dejected I was being honest I didn't like being clumsy. I wish I was graceful but I'm not._

"_Yes you are well technically we both are." I was confused first he contradicts me and now he's saying we're the same._

"_I don't understand?" He lets out a breath like he's tired, tired of everything._

"_We are both in love with impossible loves." Now I'm really confused was he saying what I was thinking?_

"_I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_You're in love with Remus don't play dumb." My eyes widened how in the blazes did he know? Who told him? If it was Sirius I was going to castrate him. Wait a minute did that mean oh my-_

"_You love Remus too." He was apparently more shocked with my revelation then I was since he jumped to his feet. He was looking at me with mortification and disgust._

"_Hell no!" that confused me._

"_But I thought you said that we're the same."_

"_Yes I did but how-look I don't know how you arrived to that but-."_

"_We'll because you said we both have impossible loves so that means you love him to-."_

"_I'm not gay, bloody hell Thompson I'm in love with Lily." The moment those words left his mouth we both had completely shocked looks._

"_You love Lily-." His hands were clamped on my mouth I was too shocked to push him away._

"_Be quiet people can hear you," he hissed. Well sorry for being shocked you don't just say things like this and expect people to stay calm._

"_Do not speak to anyone about this or I'll…I'll tell Lupin." My eyes widened I wasn't planning on telling anyone to begin with but I couldn't let him do that._

"_No don't please I won't say a word I promise." He gave me one good glare once he was satisfied that I wouldn't be opening my mouth anytime soon he stood up._

"_Good, now let's go back. Hopefully professor sprout isn't still mad about the pot." I winced at the memory I was sure if he had done it on his own he could have done a better job. I felt bad about all the trouble that I had been causing him._

After that incident that very same night I had gone back to the green house. After begging James to let me borrow his invisibility cloak I went to where we had our plant. I tried doing everything we needed to do in one night by using certain spells. I had been so focused that I had failed to see someone else entering the green house.

"_Emily is that you?" I was so shocked that I had dropped another vase but this time I was prepared._

"_Repero!" I saw the vase go back to its original form._

"_Remus, please don't scare me like that. What are you doing here?" I was confused I thought he was busy doing his potions essay._

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I just thought you could use some help." My face brightened at his offer. I was reminded yet again as to why I love him so much._

"_I would like that thanks." He just smiled back in response._

Thanks to Remus's help I was able to get the plant glowing with life. He helped me figure out what I had done wrong. By the following morning when both Snape and I arrived to class, our plant was in full bloom. I could see that Snape was completely shocked the professor on the other hand seemed completely delighted.

"_Marvelous, well done Snape and Emily, one-hundred and fifty points to each of you. I'm surprised, honesty I didn't think you two would pull through. I'm completely proud of your accomplishment."_

_Snape had turned in my direction I could tell he wanted to ask how I had managed to do it. I couldn't let him though otherwise he wouldn't get any of the credit._

"_Actually professor most of the credit should go to Snape. After all he did most of the work."_

"_You're right I give Snape an extra fifty points for his great team work."_

_By the time we managed to reach our station Snape began with his questioning. I took a deep breath and began to explain to him what I did. I decided to leave Remus out since I knew how much Snape hated the Marauders. Therefore he wouldn't appreciate the help._

After that day Snape seemed to change his attitude towards me. He still hung out with Lily after his confession. I began to take more notice in the way he acted towards her. I was shocked to see that he did indeed love her. The way he looked at her reminded me of the way I look at Remus. Or the way his eyes soften when he's talking to her. It became a habit for me to go to them, they didn't seem to mind that I would hang out with the Marauders then come to them. I still talked to them even when the Marauders were around. Sometimes I tried to keep Snape and the Marauders away from each other. There were still times when I would find them at each other's throats. Not to mention the confrontations that Lily and James would have.

When they fought students would gather around only to see them exchange spiteful words. It seemed that they brought out the worst in each other. Lily would lose her temper and say mean things while James became more cocky and childish. Honestly it was like watching two three year olds fight it off over a cookie.

Everyday seemed more interesting than the last. Eventually Christmas break came everyone seemed excited at the prospect of having no lessons. James had received a letter from his parents telling him that they would meet him at the station. Everyone began to make plans for the break. James had invited us to his house for some party that his parents end up throwing every year.

Soon it was the day to depart I was heading home. By the time that the trained reached its destination I felt my mood dampen. I wanted to stay in Hogwarts forever but I knew that I couldn't I was expected at home after all. After we each went our separate ways I made my way home. I could only assume their reasons for not coming to pick me up. Don't get me wrong I wasn't mad. my father was a very wealthy business man who was always traveling. My mother on the other hand worked for the ministry and she spent most of her days socializing with other wealthy families.

My father always told me it's not who you are that's important but who you know. I know that most people would not agree with his logic but he did make sense. Thanks to the people he knows he was able to acquire such a good position. It was also thanks to his contacts that we had a good place with the Ministry of Magic.

I know that you're probably wondering why is it that I'm not so excited to get home. We'll what I can tell you is that it's not that I don't want to see my parents it's just that I want to avoid certain things. I mean I love my parents regardless of what they do or don't do they are my flesh and blood. What I don't like is that for some reason every time I come home I always end up in a confrontation.

When I reached home I realized that it was empty seeing that all the lights where off. The moment I entered I was greeted by our house elf Eleanor.

"Hello Miss, Eleanor will take your bags to your room. If I may, I am glad that the Miss is home."

"Thank you Eleanor, I missed you too." I sent her a smile. I love Eleanor since I was a small child Eleanor has always been there for me. She is what you call my closest friend. She was a gift, my mother had given me for my so called chores. My family was known for having house elves', we were also known for miss treating them.

I never did that with Eleanor she was my friend after all. I made sure to keep her away from my parents unfortunately since I started Hogwarts I had to leave her here with them. I could see from the small scratches that they've been treating her harshly. My parents never had much compassion for anyone or anything.

I opened my bedroom door and saw that it was still pretty much the same. After I put everything away I proceeded to tell Eleanor of all the friends I had made. By the time I had finished my stories it was almost midnight. I could hear the front door open and my parents come in. I decided that it was time to get some rest. Eleanor and I fell asleep in my covers.

The following day ended up pretty much the same until an owl came in and delivered to us invitations. They were the invitations for the party that James had mentioned before. I couldn't wait to go but all the years of proper etiquette reminded me to ask for my father's permission.

"Father, do you think it's possible for you to allow me to attend the party?"

"Absolutely not." What this can't be I really wanted to see Remus and the rest.

'Why not?" He sent me a look to tell me that I was out of line but I did not retract my question. I think I deserved an explanation from what I recall I had done nothing wrong.

"We already have a prior engagement. We are going to attend the party being held at the Malfoys. I expect for you to act accordingly we will be leaving tomorrow morning." I could only stare at my father like he had gone mad. Just then my mother decided to add her thoughts as well.

"Besides we shouldn't be associating ourselves with the Potters. It is true that they are wealthy people but their friends on the other hand…let's just say we can't afford to be seen with people like that."

"And what kind of people are they if I may ask." I knew that I was stepping on dangerous grounds but I couldn't stand the way my mother acted.

"The kind the high class calls filth such as the Weasleys, Longbottoms and others. I'm sure you've realized that they tend to make friends with the black sheep of prominent families."

"They are not filth-."

"Shut your mouth you insolent child. How dare you talk back have you forgotten your manners. Leave we don't want to see your face." I didn't wait for him to finish I immediately left and went outside.

The day passed by quickly I wrote letters to all the Marauders apologizing for not being able to go. I lied in my letter telling them that I had forgotten but that we had our own family celebration to attend. I never liked lying to them but I didn't want them to know.

Ps: I am disappointed in your lack of reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 6**

**I apologize ahead of time for any miss spelling of anything relating to the Harry Potter Series. I'm not sure if any of you know this but my favorite couple is James and Lily. It's strange but I have never liked Remus until I suddenly dreamt this story up. I had decided to share this story with the rest of you so I hope you enjoy it.**

**I would just like to say thanks to the following…**

**Frozenxbullet**

**Echo Uchiha**

**BlueSkies13**

**Sololight**

**Insignificant Blimp**

**

* * *

**By the time I came back inside after getting a bit of fresh air, I went to my room and got dressed. I figured that if I had to go to the party then I was expected to bring a gift. I took Eleanor with me I told my parents that I was getting a gift, they didn't question me further. I arrived in Diagon Alley through Floo powder.

"Well Eleanor what should we do first?"

"Eleanor thinks the Misses should get gifts for her new friends." My smile widened at her response she was absolutely right. All my new friends deserved to get gifts.

"You are absolutely right Eleanor. I know let's just go to every shop and see what we can find, shall we." We went to the closest shop it was a shop that developed pictures. As I looked around I saw some beautiful frames.

"This is perfect I know he will love this." We went to all kinds of shops I had eventually found gifts for everyone except Remus. I wanted to get him something that he would love at the same time it couldn't be something too over the top it would be kind of weird after all. I knew that I couldn't be something as boring as a book or anything too childish like from Zonkos joke shop.

While I was contemplating on what to get him Eleanor had found something she liked. When I noticed that she had stopped following me, I looked back to find her staring at something in a window display. It was a clothing shop that sold outfits for all types of occasion. There was one specific dress that had caught her attention it looked like an old type of dress with pink lace and everything. I have never been a huge fan of pink ruffles but I knew that for her it meant something more. It was rare to see a house elf owning anything remotely new much less extravagant, yes there were a few families who spoiled their elfs' but again those were rare.

Eleanor must have noticed me because she turned to me quickly and began to apologize. Eleanor usually wasn't this jumpy she must have been spending too much time with my parents.

"It's okay Eleanor, I was wondering if you could do me a favor and take these gifts and get them wrapped. I will stay a little longer since I haven't found the last present. I'll meet you back at the house okay." Eleanor just nodded and did what she was told which made me frown. I missed the old Eleanor who would joke around before she did what I asked her to do. It seemed that I have been spending too much time away from home.

Once Eleanor was out of sight I went into the shop and asked for that specific dress in her size. After all it would be ridiculous not to get my best friend a gift. After I left the store with the dress and matching shoes I was going to continue to look around when I saw it. It was an antique shop I knew there was bound to be something I liked in there.

The shop was quiet and a bit dark. My eyes looked around as I walked around in the shop. I stopped when at the corner of my eye caught something. It was a small set that was left in the corner of the shop. The set was absolutely wonderful it was the perfect gift. I knew that Remus would love it.

"See something you like?" I jumped at the sudden voice, I hadn't expected for someone to be standing behind me.

"Actually yes I would like to take that set." I pointed in the direction of the set that I wanted.

"That's a wonderful choice it's a nice artifact found near Italy. It's a priceless set I can assure you. I will wrap it for you." The old man had creeped me out a bit with his mysterious mumbo jumbo. At the moment I didn't care I had found the perfect gift and with spare time.

By the time I had reached home I found all the presents nicely wrapped on my bed. I made sure to send the presents to my friends. The day after the party I found myself thinking about whether or not they would like the presents.

As for the gifts that I had sent I had given Peter an enchanted robe that kept out the cold. For James I sent him a picture with a frame and everything of one of his favorite teams signed by all the players. Sirius on the other hand; I knew would enjoy something much more interesting. Therefore I sent him a small box of enchanted beetles. The beetles could eat through anything they were mainly used for spying I figured Sirius would enjoy it.

As for Snape I sent him a frame that held the photograph that I took of him and Lily. I gave Lily a box full of baked goods. It was rare when I got to visit the small town located west of London. They had the best treats you can't find them anywhere else. Finally for Remus I sent him an enchanted chess board that I had found in the antique shop. The chess board and chess pieces were made of pure white marble and gold encrusted bordering.

I had made sure to send them before Christmas so they could arrive on time. On Christmas morning I found my bedroom window open and on my small sofa I saw a small pile of gifts. To be honest I hadn't expected to receive any gifts I wasn't used to it. I jumped right out of bed I was so excited it was the first time I would get to open a gift. The first one I reached for ended up being from Peter. It was a box full of my favorite chocolates. The next one was from Snape it was a picture of me and Remus. I smiled brightly at the gifts I absolutely loved them. The next gift came from Lily it was a friendship bracelet with a letter. I put the letter aside in order to have something to read later. The next came from both James and Sirius it was a box full of all kinds of stuff from Zonko's joke shop. Along with the box came a photo album.

I flipped it open the first few photographs had Sirius and James waving like crazy. The next had all four of the Marauders along with Mr. Potter causing mayhem. It looked like they had decided to play Quidditch indoors. In the next it had Mrs. Potter giving Mr. Potter a lecture while he preceded to sweet talk her. The other pictures came out pretty much the same they were pictures of all the Marauders with some of the other family members. In most of the pictures that had Remus in them, there was also someone else. It was a girl she seemed only to be a bit younger than us but nonetheless it was a girl. She had a bright smile plastered to her face. She had strange hair that changed throughout the photographs but most of the time it stayed short and pink. I looked at the bottom of the Photograph to read Tonks.

I tried not to think about it maybe it was a distant cousin of James. Either way the album was beautiful I loved it the only thing I would have enjoyed more would have been me attending the event. I decided to just stop thinking negative thought. I then reached for the last gift, Remus's present. When I managed to open the present I saw a small box; it was colored in baby blue as a base color with golden colored designs. It was a beautiful box. At first I thought it was a jewelry box but when I opened it I realized that it wasn't it was something more. The box revealed itself to be a music box. The song it played was nothing short of magical. The box then began to form images of a small orchestra with an unknown couple dancing. The images continued to flicker about it was like a private show.

There were no words to describe how beautiful his gift was. I loved it very much I'm not sure how many times I kept playing it but it didn't matter. I hadn't even noticed Eleanor sitting next to me watching along with me. When the box closed on its own I turned to Eleanor.

"That was beautiful Miss."

"Yes, yes it is." I smiled because of all these gifts were the first gifts I had ever received. Just then I realized that I forgotten to deliver one last gift. I reached for the two boxes that held the dress and shoes. I turned around and handed them to Eleanor.

"Miss for me." She squeaked uncertainly and when I only gave her a warm smile I saw her begin to tear up.

"But I don't deserve such kindness miss I am just a simple-."

"That's enough nonsense, Eleanor take it. It's my gift to you; you're my friend after all." Her small, thin shaking fingers took the packages and preceded to un-wrap them. I couldn't possible explain the joy I felt at seeing her eyes light up with such happiness and gratitude.

"Thank you, thank you, kind miss. Eleanor is so happy thank you so much."

The rest of the days went by rather quickly. I hadn't even noticed that it was time to head back until Eleanor was helping me pack. I really wanted to take Eleanor with me but I knew that it wasn't allowed. I just couldn't leave her here I was afraid of what they would do. When I told Eleanor my thoughts she shook her head and tried to reassure me that she would be alright. She helped me pack and sent me on my way.

I had taken all the gifts with me, well the ones I hadn't already eaten. Either way by the time we all got back to Hogwarts, James and Sirius were practically jumping off the walls with excitement. They had so many plans for possible pranks they couldn't wait to unleash them on unsuspecting victims. I felt sorry for anyone who ended up a victim of their pranks. They were a group to be reckoned with.

The days that followed were full of pranks, fights, detentions and being dragged to the room of requirement. Soon it was the day for our annual trip to Hogsmead I was ecstatic. I had heard that there was a small shop that sold baked goods and that one of their most famous item was their funnel cake. Funnel Cakes were my one true weakness there was nothing that can stop me from having a funnel cake. I could feel my mouth water at the prospect of getting one.

I excitedly threw on a sweater and a pair of brown boots everyone knew that around this time of year it was cold in Hogsmead. There were rumors that the student that were younger than third year might not be allowed to go next year. But they were just rumors after all.

"You ready," it was James along with the rest of the Marauders.

After we had come back James and Sirius had begun questioning me about Remus's gift to me. When I told them they both had gotten quiet and when I asked them if it was a good thing. Sirius responded by telling me that it was a bloody good thing. They had been trying to put me with Remus until I asked them to calm it down a bit. I was afraid that if things continued that Remus would find out and become annoyed. Especially when you have people like Sirius and James who don't know how to be subtle it can only lead to disaster. It was bad enough that Snape and Lily knew I didn't need more people finding out.

"Yeah I'm ready." We all walked together down the path that led to Hogsmead. Down the road Sirius began to taunt James while Peter just added fuel to the fire. The first place we had gone to was Honeydukes where we sat in a small booth. We exchanged stories of what we did during our break. I kept my story short only mentioning how I went to Diagon Alley. After that we made our way across town until we reached the place where the old Haunted Shack lay.

Recently there had been rumors that strange howling could be heard at night. Most people just tried to stay away there were those who said that people had gone missing. Again these were just rumors I wasn't sure besides I wasn't the type of person who believed in ghost stories. Everything was quiet I was going to go and see if the stories held any truth when I heard Sirius's voice.

"So James mind telling us when you're planning on snogging Evans," Sirius asked in his most innocent tone of voice.

"I do not plan on snogging anyone least of all Evans. Besides you're one to talk," James snorted back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"From what I can recall wasn't it you who was snogging with my dear cousin."

"Hey she came on me," Sirius held his hands up in mock defense.

"But I thought it was you who kissed her first." Peter always the first to add his two coins into the conversation. Remus and I just watched from a safe distance. I knew they could never really get mad at one another but they did like to get into scuffles.

"You were watching."

"Oh so it's true," James had proceeded to grab a handful of snow. "Do you deny these accusations?"

"Okay I confess but in my defense she shouldn't have been wearing such a short dress." Sirius held up his hands in defense. The moment James threw the snowball at Sirius it seemed that all hell broke loose there were snowballs being thrown from all directions. Remus and I had gone behind a rock when the snowballs began to be thrown.

*Splat*

"Take that Padfoot!"

*Splat*

"You will never defeat me Prongs!"

*Splat*

"Hey who threw that?" It had been Peter who threw it.

*Splat*

It had gone from a small snow ball fight between James and Sirius to a full out war between the five of us. The first one that had gotten themselves involved had been Peter who had seen an opening on Sirius. At hearing them throwing so many snow balls; I couldn't help myself when I saw Remus so serious watching out for any stray snow balls. I'm not sure what had possessed me to do it but I had thrown a small snow ball at Remus.

He looked completely shocked for a few seconds I couldn't help but laugh. None of the others had seen it since the both of us were behind a rock. I didn't stop laughing until I saw him scooping up some snow. I then began to scramble away. I threw a few at James and Sirius while Remus had tried to corner me. I'm not sure how long we had stayed there playing with the snow but we had stopped and hid in our own hiding spots.

It was to quiet I had a few snowballs set up waiting for one of them to throw their own snow ball. What I hadn't noticed was that James, Sirius and Peter had gone off somewhere else. They were still playing but we had separated leaving me alone with Remus. My heart was pounding loudly I hadn't had so much fun in a long time. I was so busy trying to see from behind my hiding place I hadn't noticed that someone had snuck up behind me.

"Forfeit," the words that had been whispered they had made the small hairs at the base of my neck to rise. It was Remus and he was behind me but I didn't want to give up just yet. I could feel him right next to me the only thing I could think to do was smile.

"Never," one moment I had my back facing Remus. In the next he had me facing him with a snow ball that was being used to threaten me into submission.

"Are you sure about that?" I was going to answer yes when I saw his eyes brighten with mischief. There was a small part that said give up but the part that lived for a challenge spoke instead.

"Positive," the moment that word left my mouth he began to tickle me.

"No fair! Hahahaha," I couldn't stop laughing. It wasn't fair that he knew I was ticklish. I curse the day he found out.

"Hahahahahah, no please stop!"

"Do you forfeit?"

"Yes I forfeit hahahaha you win." With all the tickling I had failed to notice that I had let myself drop to the ground until he had stopped. At that moment I was laying down with my back against the snow and Remus's face only centimeters away from mine. My breathing was coming out in short puffs along with his as well. I was looking directly into Remus's eyes, I was frozen in place. He lifted up his hand to cup my face and just when his face began to descend on mine I felt my eyes fluttering close. It felt like everything else had gone completely quiet. It was only just him and me and just when his lips were about to touch mine the spell was broken by Peter's voice.

"Moony! Emily! Where are you?" Both me and Remus stood up quickly and began to brush of the snow that had landed on our robes.

"Over here Peter!" I'm not sure how I found my voice but I had managed to call out to Peter. At the moment I couldn't face Remus otherwise my cheeks would get red. I needed to stay calm I wasn't sure what happened but somehow it felt like I had almost gotten my wish to come true.

"There you are its time to head back." My eyes widened in shock I had completely forgotten to get my funnel cake. So I began to run in the direction of the bakery.

"Wait! Where are you going didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Sorry Peter I forgot that I wanted to get something. I'll catch up don't worry about it." I was just about to leave when Remus's voice stopped me.

"I'll go with her you can go with the rest." I could hear him catch up to me once he was beside me we then went in the direction of the shop.

By the time I had my funnel cake in hand and caught up with the rest the jittery feeling I had in my stomach had calmed down. Remus looked calm like he usually did I was a bit disappointed to see that what happened hadn't affected him. As for me the whole thing had left me flustered and jittery. I decided not to let it bother me and just acted as normal as possible.

After a couple of weeks had passed Remus still hadn't brought it up I began to feel upset. So I went looking for Lily to see if she could help me understand why I was feeling like this. I mean Remus hadn't done anything wrong so it shouldn't be bothering me right. I didn't know what to do. If you're wondering why I hadn't gone to Sirius or James well that's simple:

They are way to blunt about things.

They would most likely ask questions than offer advice.

I wanted a woman's point of view.

I didn't even know what was going on.

When I had finally located Lily let's just say it was not what I had expected. I found her in her usual spot near the back of the Library with Snape playing cards. I had hoped to find Lily alone but I guess how the old saying goes beggars can't be choosers. In others words it was Lily and Snape or no Lily at all. I could only groan at my own misfortune.

After I had finished telling Lily the entire story with Snape listening in I let out a breath and waited for her answer.

"Wow," after waiting for her to elaborate and when she didn't I began to shake her.

"That's all you can say," after Snape had managed to pry me offer her by smacking me with a book Lily proceeded to explain her answer.

"I'm sorry it's just wow. I mean I just expected something I don't know a little less dramatic. Maybe like him giving you a compliment. I just didn't expect this." She closed her eyes and began to think and finally she let out a sigh.

"Okay why were you two on the ground to begin with?" I felt my face turn bright red at her question. The way she had said it made it sound like we had done something inappropriate. Snape on the other hand just snorted and proceeded to answer for me.

"*scoffs*Isn't it obvious that they decided to act like bunnies and couldn't wait to jump each other *smack*." I had thrown him a throw pillow; my face had turned from bright red to tomato red. How dare he speak like that as if it was an everyday occurrence. Lily just blinked while we continued to smack each other with a pillow.

"Okay, well then what did he say after he had been about to kiss you?"

"Absolutely nothing that's why I'm here confused and hungry." Snape snorted at my last words and mumbled under his breath.

"You're always hungry."

"What did you say?"

"I said you're a bottomless pit."

"Why you little-"

*smack*

*pow*

*bang*

"Well what did you say?" I had stopped on my attacks on Snape after those words had left her mouth.

"I uh well I just-."

"Moron," Snape said in an arrogant voice.

"Hey! If I wanted to get insulted then I would ask for it you jerk."

"Emily, have you ever stopped to consider that your carefree attitude, might have given him the impression that you didn't like him." I could only stare at Lily's conclusion I hadn't really thought about that. Now that I look back I had refused to look at him afraid that I would lose my composure and get all flustered.

"Both of you are idiots, you and Lupin." I only gave him a death glare while I tried to absorb all this information.

Ps: I shall be ending the chapter here I hope you enjoyed it.

IMPORTANT Authors note: The next chapter shall be in REMUS's POV so you can understand why he didn't bring it up


	7. Chapter 7

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 7**

**I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing. I love your ideas and I am sorry that my grammar isn't that great. This is my longest chapter so I hope you enjoy it. **

Remus's POV

It was the day we had arrived, back from Christmas break. We had just arrived at the Castle, James and Sirius were already excited at the prospect of causing mayhem. All throughout the break all James would talk about was how he couldn't wait try out his new broomstick. It was a gift given to him by his parents. The moment he had opened the box and revealed the new broomstick he wasted no time in trying it out.

He had let each of us try it out but the one who enjoyed it the most had been James. The entire event at the Potters had been spectacular. A ton of people had arrived, from all different kinds of family backgrounds. Everyone knows that the Potters are kind people who enjoy making friends, regardless of the person's status. It was also a known fact that they were wealthy people each with their own unique career choice.

I had met the Potters during my first year at Hogwarts when the Marauders and I made quick friends. James had invited all three of us to his home, I was bit worried at first. I wasn't sure if his parents were aware of my condition. It hadn't taken the Marauders long enough to figure it out. I had expected them to detest and hate me instead they offered me friendship.

Every full moon they would help me get through with my transformation. The Marauders became my closest friends as for my parents they knew what I was. After all it had been my father who had offended Fenrir Greyback. My parents tried everything to take the curse back but nothing had or will work. So I have no other choice but to live with this, it is a part of me that make people detest me. I know that it was only pure dumb luck that I became friends with the Marauders, because anyone else would have cast me aside. Even in the magical world being a Werewolf was not something to be proud of. It was only thanks to Dumbledore that I was allowed to attend Hogwarts since no other school would have me.

It was thanks to Dumbledore that I was able to make such great friends. It was also thanks to him that I was able to meet the Potters. The first time I had ever met the Potters became one of my most cherished memories. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I was no different than any other teenage wizard. It is a good feeling to be accepted by complete strangers for no reason at all. After that I ended up spending most of my days at the Potters and so did the other Marauders.

Things pretty much stayed the same for our first year. The Marauders had helped me be more confident. We did all kinds of things. As a group we ended up making the Marauders Map of course it was a working progress seeing how we kept finding new places. I was content, I had friends and I was accepted there was nothing more I could ever ask for. Unfortunately according to Sirius and James there was one more thing I needed…

* * *

It had happened almost at the end of first year…

_I was sitting outside reading a book that talked about enchanted artifacts when I saw them coming. I didn't know how long I had been there but moments later I could see Padfoot and Prongs heading my way._

"_Hey Moony we need to talk." That caught my interest whenever Padfoot said the words "we need to talk," it always meant bad news._

"_Oh really and what is it that we need to talk about?" I pretended to continue reading my book as I flipped to the next page I waited for him to continue. I knew that both Prongs and Padfoot where giving me that look again they had been giving me that look the past two weeks. I wanted to cringe at the topic that was about to be brought up. I had heard them talking about it, __**out loud**__ I might add, to themselves. They were quote on quote whispering, although half the Great Hall could practically hear every word of their private conversation._

"_Prongs and I have been talking." I flipped to the next page hoping they would get the hint and just drop the topic. Instead the book was plucked right out of my hands by Prongs. "We think it's time you got yourself a girl mate." I could only sigh in irritation this was not how expected to spend my evening._

"_Thanks, but no thanks, I'm perfectly content with the way things are."_

"_No you're not Moony I mean come on don't you get bored staying in fantasy land. Don't you want to experience the real thing?" I could only stare at Sirius wondering what could possibly be going through that thick head of his._

"_What are you talking about? Just give me back my book."_

"_This is exactly what we mean. Can't you just forget the bloody books for just one second?" I gave a sigh in resignation. I knew that if I didn't let Padfoot finish his little speech there was no way I was going to be left in peace any time soon._

"_Okay I'm listening what exactly do you want from me?"_

"_I think you should be more like Prongs and I." I could only stare at him he couldn't possibly be serious. Padfoot seemed to get my look because he looked at Prongs before looking back at me and changing his statement. "Okay forget Prongs you should just be more like me-."_

"_Hey what's wrong with me?" Prongs looked confused and put out he didn't get what we were talking about. Padfoot always the blunt one out of the group quickly answered._

"_Well let's see how about the fact that you're obsessed with Evans kills the rest of your love life."_

"_I am not obsessed with Evans." Padfoot waved a hand in the air indicating he was dismissing the topic._

"_Whatever you say Prongs, look let's not get off topic. Moony you should do what I do." I raised an eyebrow at Padfoot in disbelief this had to be some kind of a joke. "What? What's wrong with me?" Prongs decided to answer this time._

"_*snorts* Yeah right, you aren't any better than me Padfoot. Moony is not like you, who's always with some new girl every week."_

"_Hey! That's not true."_

"_*snorts* Oh right my bad every single day."_

"_Okay now you're just exaggerating."_

"_Fine every other day," Prongs just rolled his eyes at Padfoot's satisfied grin._

"_That sounds about right. Anyways Moony you really need to live a little."I sighed again for what seemed like the hundredth time today._

"_Look guys I appreciate what you're trying to do but I'm not like you two. You two are the ones with fan girls and personal stalkers not me." I could see both of them looking at me with complete and utter confusion._

"_You're joking right?" I wasn't sure how I was supposed to answer that so I didn't. "Bloody hell Moony this has got to be a joke." I just continued to stare at him I didn't know what he was talking about. "And to think you're supposed to be a bloody genius yet you're completely oblivious." My face stayed neutral as I tried to think about what he meant. When I came out blank I just stayed quiet since I didn't know how to respond to that._

"_You mean you haven't noticed?"_

"_Noticed what?"_

"_Do you see that group of girls over there?" I turned to see in the direction he was pointing to. Sure enough a group of girls were just standing there looking in our direction. What did that have to do with anything?_

"_Okay, so what?"_

_Sirius let out an exasperated breath and began to explain, "those girls have been there since you started reading chapter one."_

_I wasn't sure where he was going with this so I prompted for him to explain further, "and?"_

"_Don't you get it?" When I continued to give him the same oblivious look he continued. "They, my friend are your personal fan club. They follow you and continue you to stare at you while you sit here reading this rubbish."_

_(Author takes her camera and points it in the direction of the group of girls. "Let's zoom in shall we," camera zooms in on the group of girls. The faces' of the girls' becomes clearer, Author moves camera to the left and zooms in one last time._

_Click_

_Right there smack center staring right at the camera are large dark brown eyes. "This is where Emily enters."_

"_Now let's continue the story, shall we.")_

"_Come on Padfoot get real those girls aren't my fan girls. They're probably staring over here for the two of you, now if you'll excuse me-." _

"_Now I want to you to look over there." His finger pointed to a smaller group of girls sitting near the lake sending occasional glances our way._

"_Okay what about them?"_

"_Bloody hell Moony! Don't you get it? Here let Prongs explain it in words that you can understand."_

"_Look all were saying is that we aren't the only ones with fan clubs and personal stalkers." I was still unsure of what that had to do with me getting a girl. So Padfoot decided to put it as delicately as possible (note Sarcasm)._

"_Let's just say, I want to know where you are. The only thing I have to do is to follow that big group of girls over there and I can find you. Now if for some reason I wanted to know something specific like let's say the color of your boxers. Which I can assure you won't be happening I don't even want to know how they got that information. Still all I would have to do is walk up to that smaller group near the lake to find out. Now do you understand?"_

"_They know what?" I think it was the first time I had lost my composure._

"_Look that's not what's important."_

After that little episode they had done all kinds of things to get me to go with a girl. Sirius gave me what he called friendly advice.

"_Look all I'm saying Moony is that you should give some of those poor girls a chance."_

"_Odd I didn't think you where the romantic type who believed in love, Padfoot."_

"_Love? Who said anything about love? What I'm saying is that you should pick a girl already. Drag her into the nearest broom closet and snog the crap out of her." All I could do was to give him a look of complete disbelief. I couldn't even find words that can describe what came out of Padfoot's mouth. I had come to the library in order to get some peace and quiet and to finish my essay. When they came in and began to complain about my love life. Deciding that I didn't want to stay any longer while the entire library stared at us I stood up and left._

_Prongs and Wormtail ended up giving Padfoot disapproving looks._

"_What? Did I say something wrong?"_

Everything seemed to have gone downhill from there. The Marauders did everything humanly and magically possible for me to get a girl.

_I was making my way out to the grounds when I came across a huge line leading up to our usual spot. They were girls all from different years. By the time I reached the front of the line I could see the Marauders behind a white table passing out flyers._

"_Guys, you mind telling me what's going on?"_

"_Hey Moony your just in time. Do you see all these beautiful girls well one of these girls might be the one of your dreams." I could only give Padfoot a look that told him I was not amused and that this better be some kind of joke._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well the Marauders and I decided to give you a push in the right direction. That is why we called all these girls out here so you can pick one out yourself." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It's not like this was a huge surprise. I had assumed they would do something stupid like this that didn't stop me from hoping they wouldn't. Still that didn't stop a splitting headache from forming._

"_Here Moony you can help us pass out the rest." They had handed me a stack of flyers I looked down at the flyer on top, I could feel myself go rigid with shock. There smack at the Top it read…_

_**Are you single?**_

_**Love guys with blue eyes whose name is Remus Lupin?**_

_**Well we just have one question for you…**_

_**Are you Naughty or Nice?**_

_**If your answer is Naughty then you're perfect!**_

_**So Step Right up and don't be shy!**_

_**Anyone can come and try out. So girls bring your wands and win yourselves a man. We are not liable for any damages caused or inflicted by other contestants.**_

_After reading the flyer I composed myself while I tried to think of a way to fix things. Sometimes I wondered if Padfoot ever stop to think about what he was doing, probably not. I had to admit that it was a bit creative and wondered if maybe Padfoot was smarter than he looked. There was no way that an idiot could have come up with something this elaborate. I took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself down._

_As I was about to open my mouth to let Padfoot know what I thought he beat me to it._

"_Moony no need to thank me. You're my friend after all I know you're just shy. Don't worry we made sure to get the bolder ones although you seemed to attract a lot of quiet ones." I took the stack of Flyers that were in my hand and threw them on the table._

"_Do you mind explaining to me what the hell this is?"_

That little episode left me violated and annoyed. Padfoot had made the mistake of inviting the older, more experienced witches which wasted no time in using what they learned to their advantage. They had managed to drag me along with the Marauders into a room. As a guy you would think that I wouldn't mind all the attention but not all of them were girls. The point is after that Padfoot made an oath to all of us Marauders to never try something like that ever again.

When we entered second year I was glad that they had stopped trying to find me a girl. I had thought about it over the summer it wasn't that I didn't find some of those girls attractive. On the contrary some of those girls were beautiful but the problem is that most of those girls were after something else. More specifically they wanted Prongs and or Padfoot. I'm also not the type of guy that likes to be used.

On the other hand the other girls who weren't into my friends tended to be a bit boring. They were just not what I was looking for. You could say each of us Marauders had our own preferences. Take for instance Padfoot even though he constantly says he doesn't want to be tied down. We on the other hand know that's a load of bull crap. The reason he can't stay put is because he hasn't been able to find someone who can match him in boldness. Prongs on the other hand is tired of being treated the same by everyone. Therefore Lily's indifference towards him has him wrapped right around her finger.

As for Wormtail and I we just haven't found one that has caught our eye yet.

A few weeks into second year we ended up getting a new member added to the Marauders. I remember that night when Prongs came back to the dorm.

_Padfoot, Wormtail, and I were waiting for Prongs in the common room in front of the fire place. We had planned to wait a few more minutes before going off to find him. That was when the portrait of the fat lady swung open to reveal a worn out Prongs._

"_Prongs what the hell happened to you?"Padfoot look like he wanted to laugh seeing how Prongs was covered from head to toe with what looked like glitter._

"_Don't ask," he lifted up a hand indicating he didn't want to hear a word of it. After a bit of poking and staring Prongs ended up telling us what happened._

_He told us everything from the point we had split to the end when he got caught and was given detention. None of us said a word after he finished, Padfoot looked like he wanted to laugh while Wormtail looked confused. There was just one thing I wanted to know._

"_Why did you drag Emily into the room with you?" He could have just gone in on his own he didn't have to drag her along with him. Besides what was she even doing there nobody was out that late at night unless they were a Marauder. Apparently I had said something wrong because the Marauders were staring at me. "What?"_

"_How did you know her name? How are you even sure that was her?" Wait what? All I asked was why he took someone with him how did things change all of a sudden to me being questioned. Does it even matter that I know her name._

"_Prongs she's Wormtail's lab partner you should know her name too." Since they kept giving me that same weird look I decided to elaborate. "We met her last week." Their faces stayed the same blank and confused. "Oh for the love of Merlin, you talked to her and introduced her to us." When I saw no further change in their looks I gave up. "Forget it just tell us how you ended up in a fight with the Slytherins?"_

_That seemed to catch their interest so he began to explain how he had planned to avoid the confrontation. Then for some reason things went from calm to disaster when Emily decided to interfere._

After that the morning following the event came out to be more interesting than his story.

_We were sitting at the Gryffindor table when Prongs got up from his seat. At first I dismissed it and assumed he was looking for Lily until Padfoot spoke._

"_So that must be Emily." I turned to see Prongs guiding a bewildered girl in our direction. By the time she reached our table she looked nervous and frightened. I felt bad for the poor girl but I was curious to see if what Prongs had said about her was true._

"_I didn't do it." Those were the first words that came out of her mouth. I wanted to laugh none of us had expected her to say that._

"_Look be quiet and sit still we brought you here because we want you to answer a few questions."Prongs, has never been much of a patient person. Emily on the other hand did not seem to appreciate Prongs's choice of words._

"_If this is about yesterday…I can explain I accidentally lost track of time and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was just an innocent by standard please don't hurt me." I really wanted to laugh one moment she looked mad and the next she acted like a scared two year old._

"_Hey that's not what we-." I could see Padfoot begin to panic. I could see Emily's face contort from uncontrolled horror and panic to anger._

"_Now you look hear you touch one fluff of Mr. Waffles head. I will personally make sure that you won't be able to prank anyone else again or so help me I'm going to ri-."I felt my eyebrows rise in both shock and amusement._

"_Wait calm down Emily who in the blazes is Mr. Waffles, you got us all wrong we really just wanted to ask you for a favor." It was amusing to see Padfoot losing his composure over something a girl said. This scene was just too amusing. After hearing Padfoot's explanation she seemed to calm down a bit. She looked to be deep in thought I was curious to see what she would do or say next._

"_How do you know my name?"_

"_Oh um I believe that's thanks to Moony here." Her eyes moved so fast I was a bit shocked when my eyes locked on hers. A small blush had spread across her cheeks. I wasn't sure what caused it but this was definitely entertaining._ "_He knows everyone's name, but um back to business we are curious to know what spell you used on Malfoy over there."_

Padfoot had continued to explain to her the reason why she had been brought here. It was rather entertaining to see her become engrossed on a stack of pancakes. For only moments later to be brought to tears when those pancakes were taken away from her. I had seen her try to cower under the table, angry and confused. I didn't realize that she would end up surprising me in more ways than one.

PREVIEW – of chapter 8

Remus's continued POV

"So Moony, I was just wondering if you can answer something for me." Something told me to be wary. It wasn't normal for Prongs to come look for me only for me to answer a simple question. Of course that can only mean that this wasn't a simple question and figured it had something to do with Lily. Therefore against my better judgment I motioned for him to continue.

"What do you think about Emily?" Something told me that it wasn't just a simple question. Still it sounded innocent enough so I answered honestly.

* * *

I was so engrossed in my thoughts I had forgotten why I was here to begin with. That was when the door of the room requirement was thrown open and in barged Emily. She looked out of breath and a little disheveled. I didn't ask why she was late after all this wasn't the first time.

"*huff* I'm sorry *huff* I'm late."

"It's okay why don't you just sit down and catch your breath."

She went on to tell me what had kept her from being here on time. Her story was entertaining to say the least until she began to talk about her run in with Prongs and Padfoot. She had been spending a lot of time with them and for some reason it didn't seem to sit well with me. It irked me to see them getting along so well.

* * *

Lately my nights and days were being consumed by images of her. At first I ignored it and figured the reason behind all these sleepless nights had to do with something I ate. Then I figured it was because she had become one of us the Marauders but when the images continued. That was when I realized that it might be something more.

Over the break I was able to let go of some of the built up stress. It seemed that all I needed was a little break away from her but when we got back. The images began to come more frequently it was becoming rather distracting. I was not used to having so little control of myself it reminded me of those nights when the full moon came. No one had noticed but I was beginning to think that I would end up slipping sooner or later…

I'm not sure why but I had the sudden urge to take Padfoot's advice and snog her right here and now. The look she gave me made realize that I slowly losing control of myself. The side of me that wanted to feel her lips against mine was taking control. It was the part of me that wanted to make her mine and only mine.

**IF YOU WANT TO READ THE REST THEN YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 8**

**I would just like to give thanks to…**

**Echo Uchiha – If it weren't for your constant support and beautiful reviews I might have stopped writing a long time ago. This chapter is for you and to all those who have given me reviews. **

**PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU LIKE REMUS'S POV **

**Remus's POV – part 2**

The days had seemed to fly by for me and the Marauders. We had done so much in so little time with the help of Emily. At first it had been a bit weird having someone else as part of the group but eventually all of us became used to her. At first I thought that Padfoot and Prongs had been tormenting her like they did Snape. It took a bit of snooping around to figure out they liked having her around.

None of us knew the first thing about her. We all knew the basic, that she is a Hufflepuff and her name. Other than that she is a mystery.

It was a few days after we met her that I had a weird conversation with Prongs. I was outside on the grounds trying to finish an essay when Prongs came. It was rare to see Prongs these days since he had been a little preoccupied with Quidditch tryouts.

"_Hey Moony, I figured you would be out here."_

"_Prongs, did you need something," I knew something was up otherwise Prongs wouldn't be here unless it was something important. I waited for him to say something when he didn't I figured that he just needed time to get his thoughts together. He just sat there for a few moments until he cleared his throat._

"_So Moony, I was just wondering if you can answer something for me." Something told me to be wary. He had been acting too weird Prongs isn't the type to ask questions. Of course that can only mean that this isn't a normal conversation and figured it had something to do with Lily. Therefore against my better judgment I motioned for him to continue. _

"_What do you think about Emily?" Even though it sounded like a simple question something told me it wasn't. Still it sounded innocent enough so I answered honestly._

At first I was just going to dismiss it as Prongs just being weird but that didn't last long. That same afternoon I saw him drag Padfoot with him that was when I began to get suspicious. The following day both Prongs and Padfoot had woken up early and left. I had followed them all the way to the Hufflepuff dorm. Of course things just got weirder as the week progressed.

Eventually I ended up asking them about it but Padfoot being Padfoot denied everything. As for Prongs he was acting more and more like Sirius. The only one that seemed scared about me finding out had been Emily. I knew it couldn't be anything bad. Otherwise they wouldn't have dragged Emily with them but still something just didn't seem right.

Still I didn't think things had changed much the only difference was that we had a new member. I didn't realize that it would end up being further from the truth…

It was a few weeks later that things began to get complicated. Mainly for me I tried not to think about it too much. She had become one of the Marauders, she became one of us. Usually when I dreamt the only dreams I would have would be nightmares. The nightmares were usually the only things that could keep me up at night.

Soon my nights and even days were being consumed by images of her. At first I ignored it and figured the reason behind all these sleepless nights had to do with the curse. Then I figured it was because she had become a Marauder but when the images continued I knew that wasn't it. That was when I realized that it might be something I might not be able to control.

Over the break I was able to let go of some of the built up stress. It seemed that all I needed was a little break away from her but when we got back. The images began to come more frequently it was becoming rather distracting. I was not used to having so little control of myself it reminded me of those nights when the full moon came. No one had noticed but I figured that I would end up slipping up sooner or later…

The day things began to get out of control was the day we ended up going to Hogsmead. It was the yearly trip in which Hogwarts would allow its students to go into town. We had eventually made our way to the edge of town. I didn't notice where we were until I caught sight of the shack. I could see Emily make her way closer to the fence I knew that she wanted to go there. There was a part of me that wanted to tell her but the part that preferred to keep things a secret won over.

The others seemed to have noticed the same thing I did. I'm not sure if they had done it on purpose or not but they had gotten into an argument. The argument eventually ended up escalating into a snowball fight.

_I could see the snowballs begin to head our way. Without thinking I grabbed Emily and took her with me behind a small boulder. I was trying to see where the rest were going when I felt something cold smack me right in the face. I was shocked, Emily had thrown me a snowball and she was laughing. It was just unexpected but I figured the most reasonable course of action was to get her back. So as calmly as possible I began to gather snow for a snowball. She wasted no time in running as far as possible from me. I chased after her trying to get her back while avoiding the ones being thrown at me._

_I hadn't noticed that Emily and I were the only ones in this area. Apparently we had lost the rest a while back but it didn't matter much I had her right where I wanted her._

_My blood was pumping through my veins with excitement whenever I gave chase. It reminded me of a feeling the feeling of a predator after its cornered prey. This feeling was overwhelming I hadn't been able to let go and have fun in a long time. It felt like I was finally able to let go without having to worry about anything._

_As quietly as I could I made my way towards her until I was right behind her. She had pressed herself against the boulder trying to see over the side. She was looking for us, seeing her all tense that way caused a small smirk to grace my lips._

"_Forfeit," the words left my lips before I could think about what I was saying. I could see her go completely tense I knew I had surprised her. I expected her to deflate and probably pout before admitting defeat. I wasn't sure why but having to chase her made me feel like someone else. Something told me it had to do with the part of me that was a Werewolf. The part of me that is a beast and that this was like the predator after its prey._

"_Never," I hadn't expected her to say that but then again she never failed to amaze me. My body was reacting on pure impulse much like a wolf would do. In one swift moment I had her back against the boulder and a snowball between me and her._

"_Are you sure about that?" I was on edge and I was giving her a chance to back down. If she forfeited now I would let her go but if she didn't I wasn't sure what I would do. I waited for her answer, she opened her mouth to speak her eyes stared right at mine before she answered._

"_Positive," my fingers began to glide to her sides before I could register what I was doing. She began to laugh as I tickled her mercilessly._

"_No fair! Hahahaha, you win!" By the time I stopped tickling her, she was on the ground. My hands were on either side of her face and she was looking up at me. Her hair was spread out on the snowy floor but all I could seem to focus on was her lips._

_I'm not sure why but I had the sudden urge to take Padfoot's advice and snog her right here and now. The look she gave me made realize that I was slowly losing control of myself. It was the side of me that wanted to feel her lips against mine, was taking control. It was the part of me that wanted to make her mine and only mine._

_I wanted to feel her soft lips. Without thinking my hand went up to cup her cheek. I saw as her eyes began to close. Her breathing was coming out in short puffs as my breath mingled with hers. Just when my lips were about to touch hers we were interrupted by Peter._

"_Moony! Emily! Where are you?"_

_In that small moment I was able to snap out of it. I had lost control and I was afraid of how she would react. I waited for her to say something but when she didn't I decided that I should be the one to say something. Just as I opened my mouth to say something she began to call out to Peter._

"_Over here Peter!"_

_I took that as her answer she obviously wanted to get away from me a soon as possible. When she wouldn't even look at me I realized that the best thing to do was to forget about it._

_

* * *

_

Back to Emily's POV

It had been a few weeks since I had my talk with Lily and Snape. I hadn't even realized that the school year was almost over. Everyone was already beginning to talk about their plans for the summer. Lily was going on a trip with her family. Snape, well he never liked to talk about what his family did. As for the Marauders most of them seemed to have their own plans. James had invited all of us to his house over the summer. I told them that I would try to come this time.

Our trip on the train went rather smooth we bought all types of treats and ate until there was nothing left. When we arrived we all said our good-byes and went our separate ways. Just like the year before my aunt Abigail, picked me up.

Abigail is the sister of my father. They don't get a long but I adore her. She never asked me why I asked her to pick me up instead of my parents. I didn't have to she knew how they were after all she was the black sheep of the family. Even as a child she had always been kind to me. It became like a routine in which I would spend some of my summer at her house and the rest at home.

She lived in a small home a few miles away from where we lived. I loved visiting her as long as I didn't have to see a certain someone. Her neighbors are wizards as well and live next door in a bigger place. My aunt wasn't poor or anything but she's like me who doesn't like extra luxuries. She has always preferred a smaller home as opposed to a mansion. Her neighbors on the other hand preferred to show off especially their son. He didn't go to Hogwarts like I did, his parents made sure he got into a more prestigious school. I never bothered to ask since he's such a jerk he's always thinking he's better than everyone else.

"Emily, how are you? How was your trip?" She was driving us towards her house. I was sitting in the passenger's side.

"Great! What about you auntie? How's uncle by the way?"

"You know how he is always trying to discover new species. He's off in Egypt at the moment so it will just be you and me for a while. By the way I brought Eleanor a few days ago your parents weren't home so I figured why not." I couldn't help but laugh that was just like my aunt. She never liked playing by the rules. A lot of people said that I acted more like my aunt than my parents.

"So tell me have you made any friends who happen to be good-looking wizards?" I knew where this was going I could feel my cheeks become pink.

"I've made a few friends."

"Oh no you don't you are going to tell me all the juicy details when we get home. I am sure Eleanor wants to hear to."

When we arrived we were greeted by Eleanor. She had milk and cookies ready for us to eat. My aunt wasted no time in getting me into the living room she wanted to know everything. I proceeded to tell her about the pranks and other stuff I did with the Marauders.

"So let me get this straight you made friends with this group called the Marauders right." I nodded my head in response.

"That's not like a serial group now is it because if you're off killing people I think I have a right to know." Leave it to my aunt to joke while I try to tell her about my second year at Hogwarts.

"No aunt," I rolled my eyes in response.

"Wait you aren't telling me something. Could it be are you in love?" I tried not to look at her and tried to focus my attention on the cookies.

"You are! Tell me no wait let me guess. Okay it can't be the Potters kid hmmm. It can't be Sirius or that Peter kid. Oh my- you're in love with that Remus kid aren't you!"

"He's not a kid and you already knew so there's no point in yelling."

"Wait is it the same guy that sent you that gift on Christmas?" My eyes widened how did she know?

"Wait! Who told you?" She just shrugged her shoulders like it wasn't a big deal.

"Eleanor showed me while you were unpacking. By the way I think that it's a nice music box. He's got good taste if you know what I mean." I could feel myself go red my aunt always had such a way with words.

The next few days were pretty much the same I loved being here. It felt like home sometimes I wondered if maybe I should just move in with her. At the same time I didn't want to cause her problems. I knew that if I ever did my parents would do everything possible to make her life a living hell. I couldn't let that happen to her I loved her too much. She was like the mother I should have had.

It had only been a week when I received a letter from my parents saying that they wanted me home. I didn't want to go but I had no choice so I said my good-byes to my aunt and left. I didn't know what to expect my parents have always been a mystery to me always getting mad at everything. When I arrived I was surprised to see the only lights on were the ones in my father's study.

"Sit down." There was no hi how are you? Or I miss you. I wasn't surprised after all my family was never the type to show affection. I sat down in the chair situated in front of his desk.

"I want you to clear something up for me." I waited for him to continue whatever it was it couldn't be good.

"You see I've been hearing a lot of rumors lately." I continued to stay silent it was something I had learned a long time ago. Listen before you speak and do not speak unless you know exactly what you are about to say. At the moment I had no idea what he was talking about so I waited for him to clarify.

"They say that my daughter has been hanging around with filth. Now I'm a reasonable man so I decided to ask you myself because this can't be true. My daughter would never disrespect me in such a way."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I could see the veins of his neck he was mad I could see it.

"Let me be more specific, is it true what they say that you are associating yourself with filth. Do the names Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and LILIAN EVANS RING A BELL!" He had slammed his hand against his desk and had a murderous look that was being directed at me. As calmly as I possibly could, I answered.

"No father I have not been associating myself with filth." I could see him calm down and could see that stupid self gratifying smile grace his lips. "As for the people you mentioned they are my friends you must have had them confused with the real filth. Like those people you tend to associate yourself with." In a matter of seconds we had withdrawn our wands and were pointed at each other.

"How dare you raise your wand at me! Get out of my sight! I don't want to see you!"

"You don't have to worry about that because I'm leaving."

"Hahaha, your leaving where are you going to go. You have no were to run and as long as you live under my roof! You will do as I say! You will no longer be allowed to be near them or else."

"Or else what? You can't do anything to me I'm leaving and I will do what I want. They are my friends and I will continue to talk to them whether you like it or not."

"You insolent brat have you forgotten who pays for your school. If you don't do as I say you can say good-bye to Hogwarts." It was my turn to laugh.

"You don't get it do you. It doesn't matter you can stop whenever you want I don't need you. I have never needed you. Your threats don't work on me. I am tired of having to listen to you. You will no longer have control over me. And another thing the only reason you hate wizards who are muggle born is because you fear them."

"GET OUT!"

I didn't look back. I grabbed my things and began to walk away when I heard small footsteps following me. I turned around and found Eleanor.

"Eleanor what are you doing?"

"Eleanor will go with Miss." To be honest I want entirely sure what I was doing I didn't want her to suffer.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Miss Eleanor will go wherever the Missis goes."

"Thank you," hearing her say that made me feel a little lighter.

There was just one stop I had to make first. I had to go to Gringotts the good thing was that they were never closed. I grabbed the key to my own personal vault. I had opened it up a year ago transferring all the money I have ever gotten. The good thing about my parent's friends was that they always sent money instead of gifts. I knew that I had enough to sustain me and Eleanor for a while but for now I needed to get us a place to sleep. When I reached my vault I was shocked I hadn't bothered to check how much I had. The vault was filled with coins it was more than enough for everything I needed. I grabbed a bag and filled it with coins.

Eleanor and I ended up staying at the Leaky Cauldron. It was the only place I knew it wasn't much but it was too late to go looking for a place. I sent a letter to an old friend asking if they could help me find a place.

The next morning I received a response they had found me a place. It was only a few miles away from the Leaky Cauldron. We arrived through there through the fire place. It wasn't much compared to my parent's house but it was more than enough.

A few weeks later I received a letter from James he was inviting all of us over to his house. I told Eleanor that I was going to go and that I would leave her with enough money to buy things. I arrived at his house by normal means of transportation. It was strange since it would be the first time I had never stepped foot in the Potters house. I was greeted by a woman who I assumed was Mrs. Potter.

"Hello you must be Emily"

"Hi it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Come in James is in his room you can just go up there. I'm sure the rest will arrive soon."

"Thank you," I couldn't help but smile at the woman, she is so nice. I slowly made my way up the stairs they were decorated in the colors of Gryffindor. Once I reached the top I realized that I hadn't asked which room belonged to him. I ended up just standing there confused as to which way to go.

This was why I never liked mansions too many rooms and no maps to tell you "you are here." While I was in the process of picking at random I heard the door bell ring. I could hear voices from down stairs it sounded like Remus. By the time he had reached the top of the stairs I had been able to compose myself.

"Emily it's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you to Remus."

"Where are the rest?" I could feel my face color at his question it reminded me why I hadn't moved from my spot. Remus was giving me a questioning look. He was probably wondering why my face had that look like a scolded child.

"They are in James's room the problem is…I don't know where that is." I expected him to laugh or call me stupid instead he gave me a reassuring smile.

"It's this way don't worry it's a bit confusing all the doors look the same."

I followed him to James's room which was down the opposite corridor I was going to choose. Before we could reach the door it was thrown open by James himself.

"Hey Emily you came great you can help too come on in you two." I looked towards Remus to see if he could provide me some sort of clue as to what was going on. All I received was a shrug of his shoulders he didn't seem to know either. There were no words to describe what I saw.

Peter and Sirius were off in one corner building what looked like homemade stink bombs. James on the other hand looked like he was trying to build something. Something told me that James was up to his crazy ideas again and that Sirius was the one who talked him into doing it.

"Prongs want to explain what's going on?"

"Okay well you know what my mom said during Christmas. That I wasn't allowed to buy any more things from Zonko's joke shop."

"Yes," I knew that tone whatever it was that James was doing was obviously not good.

"Well I was thinking they never said anything about building my own. So I talked to my dad and he brought us all the things we need." Yup, typical James he's always finding ways around rules and for getting himself out of trouble. I even remember a few times he had managed to convince Professor McGonagall not to give us detention.

"Here Moony you understand this stuff and have more patience than I do. Emily can you help me with this."

"Sure"

We spent the afternoon making who knows what. In the process Sirius had accidentally released something that had caused Peter to grow long blond hair. None of us said a word until Sirius commented that Peter should get used to it because it was permanent. Of course that had only been a joke except that Peter thought he was serious so he fainted from the shock.

I enjoyed myself with the Potters we had all sat down and ate the dinner Mrs. Potter made. Afterwards we were all shown to our own respective rooms.

Authors note: Okay sorry if it seemed a little rushed but I have reasons for doing so. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and hopefully I will be getting some reviews. Oh and also I hope all of you enjoyed Remus's POV and that it has helped you to better understand the situation.

Ps: I made his POV short cuz it started to get a bit weird. I mean I had to keep telling myself "If I was a guy what would I be thinking." Let me tell you it's so not cool. By the way I have asked a good number of guys about what they think and let me tell you its just weird. We girls were never meant to know what they think and vice versa.


	9. Chapter 9

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 9**

**Thank you all for your continued support. I take all your reviews and comments seriously. I make sure to read every single thing you guys write to me. Well enjoy…**

**Emily's POV**

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. It is my pleasure to welcome you into this year. I hope that this year will bring you new friends and new experiences. I am sure that this year will bring with it new adventures for all. It is my hope that all of you enjoy your year at Hogwarts." There was uproar of cheers to Dumbledore's speech from many of the students. "Let the sorting begin!"

It was a new year and from where I sat I could see all the frightened first years. I remembered being the only student who had gotten lost before arriving at the castle.

_Okay, it's my first year just stay calm Emily. Don't let them see that you're scared. Remember they can eat fear or was it smell fear oh who cares the point is I can't be scared._

"_First years this way!"_

_I could see all the students going off in the direction the man pointed to. Apparently we were going in boats._

"_Everyone get in groups and take those boats over there. Unless you think you can manage on your own then you can take the smaller boats."_

_Darn I don't know anyone, stay calm Emily you can do this. Darn everyone else has partners its okay I'll just go in the smaller boat. Besides how hard can it be?_

_I slowly made my way towards one of the boats. At first it seemed a bit weird then I got the hang of it since it seemed to move in the direction I commanded it to._

"_Okay, follow me this way towards the Castle, we should be arriving shortly."_

_Okay so all I need to do is right then left hey this is easy. Hey something seems a little off didn't someone say something just now?_

"_Wait what? Hold on where did everyone go?"_

I know what you're thinking. How can you get lost in a lake? Well in the short moment I had let my mind wander off they had moved on ahead. I ended up facing the opposite direction do not ask me how long it took me to figure it out. It was embarrassing and I don't want to remember.

The Sorting Hat was beginning with its long poem while I began to space out. I have never been one to pay much attention. What can I say maybe if he was a gigantic talking pie, I might have been listening. Then again if he was a pie I would probably be trying to eat it about now.

Slowly the forms of the frightened first years took their turn to be sorted in. One by one the Sorting Hat called out Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. There were many who preferred Slytherin or Gryffindor everyone argued over which was best. Yet there has always been one house that the majority can agree on as being the worst, Hufflepuff.

Why do you ask? Well I'll tell you. The Sorting Hat may go on a long speech to explain each house, I on the other hand can tell you in simpler words. If you're cunning in other words you like playing mind games you belong in Slytherin. If you like to jump into dangerous situations then Gryffindor and if you're a book worm you belong in Ravenclaw. Now let's say you're not brave, space out a lot and are on the receiving end of mind games then you are like me. You belong in the house where everyone who is not wanted by the other houses goes. You end up in Hufflepufff with the rest of us. If you did end up in this house and are depressed all I can say is join the club.

While I was wallowing in my own self grief I had failed to notice that the celebrations had already come to an end. All the students were making their way out. As I stood up and was about to skip my way to my dorm I accidentally bumped into someone. (Note: character has mood swings)

Bump

Trip

Fall

I had fallen on my butt along with the person I bumped into.

"I'm so sorry I-."

"You're as graceful as ever," he grumbled as he nursed his bottom.

"Sirius, it's only you what are you doing here by the way?"

"That's nice and here I thought we were friends."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that I was only-."

"Emily are you alright." I turned in the direction of the new voice it was Remus. He gave me a hand to help me up.

"Remus it's nice to see you."

"How was the rest of your summer?"

"It was great, what about yours?"

"It was okay I-."

"You two are seriously going to just stand there, having your own personal conversation while you ignore your fallen comrade." We both turned to the voice on the ground. We had completely forgotten that Sirius was here.

"What are you doing on the ground?" Remus obviously didn't see my wonderful display of elegance and finesse. (Author notes sarcasm)

"Really Moony I'm hurt you notice that she fell yet you didn't notice how I got hurt. I thought I meant something to you."

"Oh knock it off Padfoot you're creeping all of us out." I turned to the new voice it was James along with Peter.

Sirius in response just gave a small pout before hoisting himself up. He began to send charming smiles in the direction of girls who happened to look his way. I just rolled my eyes no matter how many years passed Sirius is still the same. He is always flirting with girls as for the girls they don't stand a chance against his charms. Girls from all ages always end up falling for his stupid lines.

"Come on we should get going if we are going to get everything ready on time." We all ended falling James towards the room of requirement.

If you are wondering what's going on well don't worry I'll fill you in. You see a few weeks ago James had sent all of us a letter saying he wanted to give a little show. It was his way of showing appreciation for a new year. Don't ask why I was going along with it. One moment I was planning on ignoring it the next thing I know I'm the one setting things up. It didn't take long to set everything up and before anyone knew James and Sirius had lit them up with a swish of their wand.

BOOM

BANG

SCREAMS

CHAOS

We had set up stink bombs in every single one of the dorms. Everyone was wondering around trying to get away from the smell. We couldn't stop laughing we had left a special surprise for the Slytherins by now they were probably being bombarded by balloons filled with bat droppings. We could see them come out screaming in outrage at the top of their lungs. Our fun didn't last long in a matter of minutes we were found by professor McGonagall.

At the moment we were standing before her each with bit of guilt written on our faces.

"Will you five tell me what was going on in your heads? I would think that you five might have learned your lesson and stopped these ridiculous pranks. I am disappointed in all of you it is barely the first day and you are already getting yourselves into trouble. Well what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Minerva, anger does not suit you. We were just celebrating and might I say you look even more gorgeous than last year." Sirius, leave it to him to try to use his charms to get out of trouble.

"Mr. Black it is professor McGonagall to you and don't you dare think you can charm your way out of this. As for celebrating that was not at all what you five did. What you five have done is cause everyone to lose their sleep including me. As for Mr. Lupin and Ms. Thompson you two disappoint me the most. I never thought I would see the day when two of my best students would do these kinds of things."

I felt a little guilty but then again that has never stopped me before. Still that didn't stop the grimace from showing on my face.

"My apologize professor there is nothing that I can say that can excuse my actions." Remus, he is always the first out of all of us to apologize.

"What about you Ms. Thompson? I am sure that your parents would be most disappointed. What made you end up here in the middle of all this mess?"

"Honestly...?" I wasn't sure if I should answer truthfully or not so I waited for her to decide. Seeing my hesitation she gave me a nod telling me to go on. "Well truthfully the cause of all of my misfortune began with… a stack of buttermilk pancakes." In a matter of seconds the Marauders burst out in laughter. I was appalled, how dare they make fun of me, this is what I get for being honest. The professor on the other hand found nothing funny about the situation.

"Enough! I was planning on giving you detention for two days but I see that you might need an entire week."

"You are absolutely right professor. As a matter a fact I think getting detention is not punishment enough." James, apparently instead of becoming more mature he became more of a masochist. I turned to see that everyone else looked to be thinking the same thing.

"Mr. Potter, are you feeling alright?"

"Of course professor I just think that detention is not going to get us to stop acting this way. I propose an alternative I think what we should do is for us to go back to our dorms. That way we can think about what we have done and once we have let our subconsciouses torture us. We can go on with our lives. So what do you say professor will you let us off easy; with a week's worth of detention or will you force us to see the wrongness of our actions." I could only stare at James like he had grown another head. I was confused he lost me on the going back to our dorms part. The professor on the other hand seemed to understand perfectly and was currently contemplating on an answer.

* * *

I couldn't believe it we had managed to leave her office without detention and so early in the year. I had asked Remus what the hell James was talking about. He told me that James was just trying to trick the professor and it had worked. I know I have said this before but James did belong in Slytherin he is one sneaky wizard.

At the moment we were all on our way towards our own dorms.

The following morning seemed to me like all the rest I got up ran to get breakfast. I was on my way to the Hufflepuff table when I found myself being pulled towards the Gryffindor table. Odd why did this seem so familiar? Oh right I'm friends with the Marauders, no longer am I allowed to choose where I sit. Sad isn't it I belong to a House nobody wants and get bossed around by four guys. You would think that I would try to put up a fight but I didn't. I'm more of the type that prefers to go with the flow as long as I get fed.

I had just sat down when I received a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to face the person who dared to disturb me while I was about to eat.

"Emily sorry for bothering you but I was wondering if we could talk for a sec?" It was Amos Diggory, I knew him because he was sorted into the same house as me in our first year.

"Yeah sure," I turned back to the rest. "I'll be back in a bit," they each gave me a nod saying that they heard Remus on the other hand wasn't staring at me he seemed to be looking at Amos. Odd I don't think they even know each other. Oh well back to business I wonder what Amos wants?

I left the table and followed Amos out of the Great Hall and onto the School grounds. For a moment all he did was pace back and forth. For a moment I was going to suggest that he should maybe use the bathroom until he stopped and stood about a foot away. Okay I usually don't complain about anything except when people are this close. This was an invasion of privacy or was it personal space? Whatever it was its still an invasion just when I was about to move back he opens his mouth to speak.

"I need you to do me a favor."

"Okay…"

"Do you know Catherin Dawood?"

"Yes…" I was thinking that maybe I should kick him and run. The way he was acting reminded me of a crazy person.

"Well I'm in love with her."

"So you're telling me this…why?"

"Well I was wondering if you can help me."

"How? I'm not cupid I don't think I can help you since I can't even help myself."

"Well I was thinking that we could help each other to make the person we like jealous." I could only stare at him doesn't that only work when the person you are trying to make jealous actually likes you back. As far as I knew Remus only liked me as a friend as for him I wasn't sure since I didn't really talk to her. He seemed to read my hesitation because he continued. "Look I know it sounds crazy but please I'm desperate it's been over a year since I liked her. How about this, if you do this for me, I'll even give you the cookies my grandmother sends every week. If that isn't good enough I will even help you get with the guy you love. Come on we are fellow Hufflepuffs we should help each other out. So what do you say?"

If I was going to do this then there was only one thing I wanted to know. "What kind of cookies?"

It only took a matter of moments to get myself roped into a bigger mess. His plan was to just to hangout like best friends since I refused to be his girlfriend I did not want my first relationship to be founded by lies. What can I say I demand to have a fairy tale ending. Well over the next few weeks we ended up hangout like best buds. Sirius and James kept bugging me wondering if I was going out with him at first I just told them simply that we are friends. When they still wouldn't leave me alone I ended having to tell them everything. As for Remus I had seen less of him everyday which was beginning to bother me a lot. As for Amos he seemed to be getting what he wanted.

Over the next following days Catherin began to talk to him more and more. I on the other hand became more and more depressed. It seemed that every time I wanted to talk to Remus he would be busy or just too tired to talk. I tried asking advice from both James and Sirius. The only thing they offered me was a pat on the back and a shrug of their shoulders. Finally I went to Amos to see if maybe he had a solution. Except when I went looking for him I found him arguing with Remus.

"What's your problem anyways this is between me and Emily it has nothing to do with you!" It was Amos who was currently yelling at Remus who was only a few feet away.

"It is my problem and what you're doing is wrong. So tell me why I shouldn't hex you until next Wednesday." I had never heard Remus so angry before.

"Look Lupin stay out of it I'm warning you."

"Ha! Your, warning me now that's rich!"

I could see the other three Marauders standing in the sidelines just watching. I couldn't believe them. Why weren't they stopping them?

"What are you three doing why aren't you stopping them."

"Are you kidding there is no way we are getting between Remus and the poor fool who decided to piss him off." I could only stare at Sirius I had never seen him wimp out of anything.

"Padfoot's right there is no way to stop Remus. The only thing we can do now is to make sure he doesn't kill the poor idiot."

I turned back towards the fight.

"I don't understand why you're making such a big deal anyways. Emily new from the start she's okay with this so I don't see what your bloody problem is."

"What! What do you mean Emily knows? Emily would never allow it so don't give me that crap. You were only using Emily to get to that girl Catherin over there weren't you?"

"I already said yes and how many bloody times do I have to tell you that Emily knows."

"You despicable piece of vermin you'll pay for that."

I wasn't sure what was going on but it looked like Remus was about to blow. I couldn't let this continue.

"Remus, please stop! Amos what the hell is going on?"

"Your friend here is the one starting crap over nothing. Talk to him he's the one that came here wanting to hex me."

I turned towards Remus I didn't know what was wrong but whatever it was it had to be bad. I have never seen Remus act like this. Whatever it was I was sure that Remus would tell me.

"Emily just answer honestly is it true what this asshole says? That you knew that he was just using you to get to some girl and that you are okay with this?" I was confused the only thing I could think about was what I had promised Amos almost two weeks ago. If he was referring to me helping him get to her then yes it's true and that is exactly what I answered.

"Yes," it was only a short and simple reply but apparently it was enough for Remus. It hurt me that he didn't even look at me before he began to walk away. It hurt how he was able to brush past me like I was nothing.

I don't know what I did to make him hate me but I wasn't going to let things go just like that. Even though we weren't together Remus and I had become friends. It might not have been what I had dreamt about but it was enough. At the moment it was slipping away and I couldn't let that happen. It might have not meant anything to him but it meant something to me. He can move on without a care in the world but what about me. Who would help me to pick up the pieces? So without thinking I let my feet take me.

I ran after him I followed him into the castle he finally stopped when we reached a deserted corridor.

"Remus, wait! Please explain to me what's going on." He still hadn't turned around but I could see his hands being balled up into tight fists.

"Why?"

"I don't understand why what?"

"Why did you settle for a jerk like him?"

"Remus, what are you talking about?" I reached out to touch his shoulder I wanted him to look at me. The moment those words had left my lips he had turned around and I could see his eyes. The same eyes I fell in love with more than two years ago. Those same eyes held anger, confusion, and pain I never wanted to see him like this.

"Why did it have to be him? You deserve better can't you see that?" I didn't know what he was talking about but whatever it was he was wrong. I don't deserve the man I love because he deserves better. I will always want his happiness even if it's not with me.

"No you're wrong I don't deserve the man I love. He deserves better-." I couldn't finish what I was going to say since my words were cut off by his lips. In a short moment he managed to close the space between us. He had pressed my body against the wall that was behind me while his lips tried to explain what his words couldn't.

Never in a million years would have I been able to imagine much less describe this feeling. My eyes had fallen closed the moment his lips came crashing down on mine. His kiss was demanding yet soft. It felt like bliss like nothing else. I couldn't hear or see anything the only thing I could do was feel. I could feel his warmth envelop me. I could feel his arms wrap around my waist to bring me closer. He was kissing me and I was kissing him back with the same yearning.

My hands moved towards his brown locks trying to bring him closer. I could feel my heart tingle with the sensation of his lips. I felt his lips part as his tongue darted out to taste my bottom lip. I opened my own mouth wanting to taste him in return. Breathing became second to kissing him. Our lips fit perfectly I could feel his desperation.

I hadn't realized that I had been holding back this need to kiss him. It seemed to have building up for a while because the moment he kissed me it felt like I could breathe again. The feeling was incredible I almost forgot what it was like to breath. Our lips parted as our foreheads stayed together. My breathing was coming out in short puffs as was his. All I could do was to stay in the same position as I tried to grasp what was going on.

"*pants* you do deserve better." I could only stay mesmerized by his smoldering blue eyes. "Leave him." Once those words left his lips he kissed me once more and I responded back.

"*pants* Leave who? *pants*"

"Diggory *pants* who else," now I was really confused. I pushed him back a little to look at him properly.

"What are you talking about Amos and me are just friends." I could see that he was confused as well.

"But I thought that you two were going out."

"No we are just friends."

"But you two have been going everywhere together."

"That's because we were pretending to be best friends so the girl he likes can get jealous. At first he wanted me to pretend to be his girlfriend but I said no."

"But when I said you deserve better you said no if you weren't talking about him then who?"

Please tell me he's kidding doesn't he realize how much I love him. I figured there was only one way to tell him to get my point across.

"Who else," and with that I pulled him towards me and crashed my lips onto his.

"Wait let me get this straight so you two are now going out?" I wasn't sure how to respond since I didn't know either but it seemed that I didn't have to.

"Yes Padfoot anything else you want to know while you're at it."

We had finally walked back to the room of requirement where we found the rest of the Marauders waiting. Seeing Remus holding my hand they began to bombard us with questions.

"It's about bloody time I was beginning to think it would never happen." James seemed to have finally gotten out of his stupor. He gave Remus a pat on the back and gave me a one arm hug.

"I actually have one more question, have you snogged the crap out of her yet?" I could feel my cheeks turn bright red. I had forgotten how blunt Sirius can be sometimes. Remus on the other hand sent him a glare. James did all of us the favor of smacking him at the back of his head.

"Hey he asked."

I felt like all of this was a dream I couldn't believe it I was actually going out with Remus. It felt like a dream come true. I couldn't stop the smile from showing on my face.

The next couple of days I would meet Remus and everyone else for breakfast. He would then walk me to class where he would give me a short kiss before going off to his. Even though our first kiss had been more spontaneous we had kept our kisses short and simple. Somehow it felt like we should enjoy our time as much as possible. Halloween was coming again we had decided not to do anything this year. Everything was pretty much the same the only difference now was that I could kiss Remus whenever I wanted.

I loved it the first couple of days I had been shy about it but when I saw him one day just walking. He looked tired and a bit out of it I couldn't help it. I went right up to him and kissed him in front of everyone. At first I was afraid that he would get mad when he just stood there. He had been shocked but then he smiled and he kissed me back. Since then I had made it a habit of kissing him at random times.

Ps: Sorry I'm leaving it here it's just that its 2:00 in the morning and I'm sleepy. I hope that all of you enjoyed this. In the next chapter I shall give you more moments of the two of them together.


	10. Chapter 10

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 10**

**This chapter goes to all of those who have reviewed.**

**Also special thanks to both Echo Uchiha and BlueSkies13.**

**Echo Uchiha- The only thing on guys minds are video games, sports, and chicks. When I say chicks I'm talking about what they look like. Guys become perverted at the ages between 11 and 13. Don't get me wrong girls are sometimes perverts too but we hide it better.**

**BlueSkies13- thanks for the reviews.**

**Insignificant Blimp- have I ever told you how much I loved your threat and I wasn't being sarcastic. **

**Sololight – I loved your review thanks.**

**Frozenxbullet- Don't be lazy and continue your stories your audience awaits the next chapter.**

**If anyone has any questions you can ask.**

**Let the story begin…**

We had arrived back in London. It was time for the yearly Christmas break. Everyone was excited to see their family. I knew that Abigail and Eleanor would be waiting for me on the other side. I had already said my good-byes and had promised Remus that I would come to the Party at the Potters.

"Over here Emily!" I went into the direction of my aunt she was waving her hands like a mad woman while my uncle tried to calm her down. She had found a crate she could stand on and Eleanor was just waiting beside her.

"Hello aunt, uncle, Eleanor, it is nice to see you all."

"Come on child we need to get you home. You're uncle has brought someone you haven't seen in a while." That surprised me I wondered who could possibly be waiting for me. I had written letters to both Eleanor and my aunt. Therefore I knew that my aunt was already aware of my living arrangements and was also aware that I was dating Remus.

By the time that we arrived it was already the afternoon. When we arrived my uncle wasted no time in dragging me towards the living room where a large cage sat. I couldn't believe my eyes I hadn't see him since I was about six years old. It couldn't possibly be the same one could it?

"Uncle is that…?" He only nodded in confirmation I slowly made my way towards the open cage where he was sleeping.

"Yeah I found him near Egypt. I'm still unsure what he was doing there but he wasn't doing so great. He was poisoned I was able to remove it but I thought I should bring him here anyway. Recently there have been hunters looking specifically for his kind. It's some sort of sport that's gone mad. They have almost whipped them all off the face of the earth."

"Why would they do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure myself but I'm pretty sure he's one of the last of his species."

I couldn't believe it I hadn't seen him in so long I almost forgot what he looked like.

"The Manticore, one of the last of its kind it's a shame really they are such fascinating creatures." After that my uncle and aunt left me alone with him.

The Manticore is a rare species that was best known for devouring men. Its preference was devouring only men, not women. It loves a good hunt only few have been able to see it and live. Many have died before they could utter a word of their existence. It had the face of a man and a body of a lion. It had a mouth that held three rows of razor sharp teeth much like a shark and a malevolent voice. It was a voice that can bring any man to his knees and to cower in fear. The speed it held was unrivaled by any man or beast. When its speed would fail its tail would make up for it. It had the tail of a scorpion with poisonous darts that can hit any target with perfect accuracy. The poison in his darts caused its victims to become completely paralyzed.

When I was six I had happened to come across one that was just a baby. It had been injured and being a naïve child I was, I brought it to uncle. I helped him treat it and take it back to its mother and father. At first my uncle was afraid that they would think we were the ones that hurt it. I believe they would have devoured us if the one I had saved hadn't spoken. He explained to his parents that he had been caught by a bear trap and that I had helped nurse him back to health. I had spent three sleepless nights making sure its fever didn't go too high.

We had expected them to pay us back by letting us go. What we got instead was something else…

"_If what our child says is true then we have no choice but to pay you back." I was too fascinated to speak I didn't even know they could talk. My uncle on the other hand was frightened but at least he was more composed than I was._

"_Just let us live that would be more than enough." His voice trembled I don't think he believed that we would come out of this alive._

"_You don't seem to realize our predicament. We may devour humans but we have our own honor. What your niece did has bound us to you. We are indebted to both of you."_

"_I didn't do it so that you can owe us." It didn't register my mind that those words had left my lips until it was too late._

"_That just makes it a greater debt. If for any reason you need our assistance we shall come to your aid."_

"_But how do we find you?" It was my uncle regardless of his fear I knew that he was intrigued by the turn of events._

"_Take this regardless of where you are we will find you." With that they had left before we could blink our eyes. I looked down and found a pair of flutes. They had given us one for each of us._

Even up till this day I carry the flute wherever I go. It was a habit that my uncle had forced me into. He said that if I was ever in any danger that I should use it. Just then the Manticore stirred from its sleeping position.

"Are you alright?" Recognition flashed over his eyes before he turned towards me. He had been ready to pounce but when he recognized my voice he had stilled once again.

"Yes, where am I?" It was still a bit shocking to hear him speak. I had almost forgotten how terrifying his voice can be.

"You are in my aunt and uncles house. My uncle found you in Egypt poisoned can you tell what happened. Can you remember how you got poisoned?" He began to stretch as he contemplated his answer.

"I was running away from a bunch of wizards who were hunting me. They have been hunting my kind for a couple of months now. My family and I had moved to Egypt to seek shelter but we were almost ambushed. We went into hiding I had gone out to find some food but I was ambushed instead. They started to do some weird incantations which almost caused me to black out. I can't remember the rest all I can remember is running. About a year ago we had stopped hunting humans I think that was when they started hunting us instead. My father thinks it is because they believe we have become weak. We only eat animals now like normal lions apparently that hasn't done us any good."

I was in shock I didn't know what to say. I hadn't expected any of this but he had become my friend. I felt compelled to help him in some way. He began to stand up he was opening his wounds again.

"No, stop, you shouldn't be moving or you will open your wounds again."

"I have to go my family is waiting for me."

"You can't go back are you crazy you'll get killed."

"What else do you expect me to do? I refuse to leave them behind."

"If that's the case I'll come too."

"I'm coming as well." I turn around to see my uncle I hadn't noticed him enter the room.

Before we left my uncle had handed me a pin. It is supposed to keep the Ministry of Magic from finding out that I used magic outside of school. My aunt ended up coming along with us we had left as soon as we could. Our friend seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and we couldn't blame him.

It didn't take us long to find his family. They were surprised to see us but nonetheless grateful for the help. We had agreed that they would stay at my home since I lived in the middle of a forest and my house offered the best protection. The forest along with the house had been given to me as a gift. Right when we were about to leave we were confronted by a hunting party.

"Stay back!" My uncle had motioned for the Manticores to stay behind us.

"What's this? This has to be some kind of a joke, since when to wizards protect man-eaters?"

"Leave them alone they have done nothing wrong they no longer eat humans."

"And you believe them what a laugh. No matter we shall finish them once we are done with the lot of you."

"We let you live yet you hunt us down like some animals." It was the father Manticore they were standing alongside us. I had forgotten that they weren't the kind to watch from the side lines.

"Listen to this, you saw us coming and became scarred that is why we are alive. You did not spare us we spared you for later enjoyment. We hunt you down because your animals therefore you should be treated like one."

I'm unsure as to who let out the first spell. In the mists of battle they had struck down a Manticore and would have killed her if I hadn't jumped in. I wasn't sure what I was thinking but I couldn't let them kill them. They didn't want to kill humans otherwise they would have been dead long ago. I don't know why they couldn't just see that and leave them alone. By the end we managed to escape with a few injuries.

"You have saved us for the second time and have given us a place to run free. We are indebted to you all. We are Manticore that stick by our word of honor and you shall have our loyalty. You may use us whenever you wish. We are your humble servants." They were bowing at our feet I could see that they were being completely sincere but that was not what I wanted.

"No, we don't want or need servants," they seemed sad at my proclamation. They must have thought that I wanted something more. "But there is one thing I would like if I may ask?" The Manticore seemed to straighten up at my request.

"Anything, whether it be jewels, servitude, gold it is yours." The other two nodded in unison each waiting for my answer.

"I would like for us to be friends. We did not save you so that you can be in our debt. We saved you because we consider you as friends. I can only hope that if there is another time you may need us that you can come to us as well. We are like family now so please stop bowing its making me feel a little weird."

The three of the Manticores wore a look of surprise. I don't think they expected me to say that but slowly the eldest Manticore stood and took a step forward.

"Thank you."

Those were the only words that had to be uttered for all of to come to an understanding. We had become friends with three of the last surviving Manticores.

Time seemed to fly by it was already the day of the Party. I had asked my aunt and uncle if I could go. They had told me yes and sent me off. I was running a bit late what with everything that had happened only a few days ago. As quickly as I could I made my way to the Potters where I was greeted once again by Mrs. Potter.

"It is nice to see you again Emily."

"It is nice to see you too Mrs. Potter and thank you for inviting me into your home."

"No need for formalities dear, just call me Angela."

I thanked her before stepping inside. I noticed that the house was full of guests from outside it would have seemed as though nobody was home. Everything was decorated in red and silver. There was a small band playing with a pianist. It was soft music that was usually only used for high class events. I made my way upstairs were I knew the rest would be. When I reached it I only found three of the Marauders and no Remus in sight.

"Hey Emily glad you could join us." - James

"Hey James, Sirius, Peter what are you three up to." - Me

"Unfortunately nothing since Prongs refuses to do anything fun." - Sirius

"That's not true and you know it. I can't and you know that." - James

"What's going on?" – Me

"Prongs's parents placed a spell on him to make him behave for the duration of the party." – Peter

"Why?" – Me

"Prongs, over here, got caught constantly trying to jinx a certain guest." – Sirius

I was confused there was something they weren't telling me.

"She started it if she hadn't called me a prat I wouldn't have jinxed her." Both Sirius and Peter rolled their eyes in response.

"She only called you a prat because you insulted her first." – Sirius

"How in the blazes did I insult her?"

"You called her a know it all."

"That's because she called me a moron."

"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't called her a feminist."

"I wouldn't have called her a feminist if she hadn't called me a sexist pig."

"She wouldn't have called you a sexist pig if you hadn't called her woman."

"That's only because she smacked me."

"That was only because you insinuated that she was a man."

"I didn't know she was there besides whose side are you on anyway."

They had stopped arguing when there was a knock on the door. In walked in Mrs. Potter

"Now James if you promise to leave the poor girl alone. I'll let you go to Hogsmead with your friends tomorrow."

"She started it."

"Now James Lily Evans seems like a perfectly nice girl. I don't understand why you boys have to act like that. Always picking on the girls you like. Why can't you just be a gentleman and tell her how you feel."

I wanted to laugh so hard the look on James's face was priceless. I could see both Sirius and Peter snickering at James from behind. James had a look of betrayal and mortification.

"Mother how can you even say that? I hate Evans I don't like her not now not ever. She is my enemy. Why is everyone against me?"

By the time we managed to get James outside it was already night time. I had yet to see Remus I wanted to ask but I wasn't sure if I should pry into others personal life.

I hadn't realized how long I had stood there staring off into the night sky. It was already dark and everyone else had gone back inside while I stayed there staring into the night sky. I didn't even realize it had gotten cold until I felt two arms wrap around me. My body went stiff I had been caught off guard until I heard the all too familiar voice.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He had only whispered into my ear and I could already feel myself become warm. I had missed him it felt like I hadn't seen him in months even though it had only been a few days.

"I missed you," he had released me and I turned around to face him. I was once again trapped in his blue eyes. They are the same eyes that had caught my attention during first year. I let my arms wrap around his neck and slowly our lips touched. He gave me a soft smile before he kissed me again but this time it was more desperate. He gave me soft kisses on the lips until I pulled away to catch my breath. He proceeded to give me soft kisses along my neck. I had missed this too much.

When we finally pulled away he took me by the hand and pulled me towards the Potters house.

"Come on we should head inside before you catch a cold."

The following day I had to head back since I promised my aunt and uncle that I would spend Christmas with them. By the time I arrived it was already the afternoon and both of them were nowhere in sight. I decided to head on outside to see if she might be taking care of the garden.

When I found no one I figured that they probably left to do some last minute shopping. Leave to my aunt to leave things at the last minute. Just when I was about to head back inside a voice stopped me.

"I think you get fatter every year wouldn't you say." I silently cursed my horrible luck it was him. The guy from next door I hated him with every fiber of my being. He has always been a jerk even when we were kids.

His name is Ephraim we met during the first summer I had come to visit my aunt. It was in that same summer that I began to realize I am a gullible person and that he is the type to take advantage of gullible people.

_It was my first summer away from home and I was only five years old. My aunt had told me that there was a kid my age living next door. I quickly tried to meet this person so that I could have someone to play with. He was playing in the backyard with a ball. My aunt had told me that he was a wizard like me._

"_Hi my name is Emily." He had stopped doing what he was doing and turned towards me. I was startled for a moment he had black hair and gray eyes. He looked to be a bit older, he looked cute and…_

"_So"_

_A complete meanie, what's this guy's problem anyways._

"_You don't have to be mean about it. I was just wondering if we could play together."_

"_You want to play with me?" I just nodded my head in response._

"_Okay we can play hide-and-seek. I'll count while you hide." I was so excited that I ended up running off to go hide. It took me about four hours of waiting to realize he wasn't coming. I had to go look for him at his house where he was having dinner. When I accused him of leaving me out there he had only one response._

"_You mean you were actually out there waiting bloody hell. You really are a moron." With that he ended up slamming the door in my face._

I had been so upset that I had vowed revenge. By the next summer I had completely forgotten about my revenge. You would think that I would have learned my lesson sadly I hadn't…

"_Hey you there!"_

"_Me?"_

"_Yes you" Hadn't I seen that boy before._

"_What do you want? I don't know you."_

"_My name is Ephraim and I was wondering if you could keep score." I turned in the direction he pointed and there were a group of boys. All of them holding a broomstick it was a sport that was commonly played by wizards and witches. My parents didn't like me playing these types of sports so I had never flown one._

"_Only if you teach me how to fly one?"_

"_I don't know… it takes time to do that."_

"_We'll at least let me borrow one."_

"_Okay deal."_

_After they played for what seemed like hours they finished and I went running towards him. I couldn't wait I really wanted to try one._

"_What do you want?"_

"_What do you mean what do I want. You promised to let me use one."_

"_Oh right here take this one as a matter a fact you can have it." I was surprised I had only meant to borrow it maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all._

"_Thanks so much I promise to take good care of it."_

"_Sure whatever go knock yourself out."_

_I didn't waste any time in trying it out. I had spent about three hours getting that thing to work while the boys laughed at my attempts. It took my aunt to come outside and tell me that the broom I was holding was a just a regular broom; to realize the real reason as to why they were laughing. I was hoping around like a complete moron for three freaking hours and the jerk never once said hey I was kidding. Or hey I'm sorry I gave you the wrong broom. The jack-ass was watching from the sidelines._

Again I had vowed revenge on the stupid jerk and once again by the following summer my revenge was long forgotten. This time my aunt had invited him over for dinner along with some other kids from the block.

_My aunt had made spaghetti and meatballs. The desert was apple pie with whipped cream. I absolutely love food therefore it was only logical that I grabbed the biggest bowl._

"_If you keep eating like that I'll have to start calling you porker." Yup it had to be the jerk he had to ruin the one moment in my life that I love the most._

"_Leave me alone, eat your own food."_

"_I am unless you want to eat my food too. I bet that all of this food wouldn't be enough to fill that bottomless pit of yours." I could feel my cheeks redden in anger and embarrassment it reminded me of what my father usually said._

"_I may be a bottomless pit but at least I don't have to worry about my ego inflating my head like you."_

"_You're absolutely right you don't need an ego to inflate anything everything is already inflated."_

"_What did you say?"_

"_I said your fat."_

"_I'm not fat! I'm just big boned."_

"_*scoffs* right that's why your gut is so big. If there are any bones in your body they are most likely animal bones. From all the innocent creatures that get in your way when you get hungry."_

"_That's it I've had it *Splat*"_

_Let's just say that spaghetti ended it up everywhere the walls, floor, table while the jerk ended up squeaky clean. Some idiot taught him how to dodge._

I cursed him into the seventh layer of hell. I vowed that the moment that I learned how to do spells that I would hex him until he begged on his knees. The following summer was different because this time I didn't forget what he did. I was more weary of him; I was on constant alert, 24/7.

"_Hey Emily" he had walked across his yard towards ours._

"_Oh no you don't I'm not falling for it this year, you egotistical brat."_

"_I deserve that I'm sorry for the way I have been acting." I still had my hands up in defense._

"_Oh and why is that?"_

"_Look I want to say that I was sorry for being such a prat. I don't expect you to forgive me I just hope we can become friends."_

"_Oh and what caused this sudden change?"_

"_Well now that I'm nine I've realized that its time I started growing up."_

"_You really mean it?"_

"_Of course like I said I don't expect you to trust me." Something told me I shouldn't trust him but then again he looked so sincere I decided why not. Everyone deserves a second chance._

"_Okay I forgive you," they were words that I would soon regret._

_He took me to a muggle district he had asked my aunt and uncle for permission. I was only eight he promised that we would be going with his older brother he is fifteen at the time. His brother ended up leaving us to our own devices. Once we reached a corner where he asked me to wait. He told me not to move and that if anybody asked me anything to simply answer "Soy una pendeja." He said it was Spanish for I'm waiting for someone._

_What I hadn't realized was that I was in front of a Spanish restaurant and that those words didn't mean what he said they meant. After telling like ten people what he said someone who spoke both English and Spanish came up to me._

"_Excuse me are you lost?"_

"_Soy una pendeja"_

"_Um do you know Spanish?"_

"_No"_

"_So you don't know what 'soy una pendeja' means do you?"_

"_No"_

"_Who told you to say that?"_

"_My friend he said it meant that I was waiting for someone."_

"_I'm sorry but what you are actually saying is 'I'm an idiot'"_

_I felt my cheeks turn bright red from embarrassment I could hear him laughing at another corner street. He had been watching the entire time while eating ice cream. That's it he had tricked me for the last time. This means war!_

_Ps: I'm leaving it here cuz I'm tired if you want to read the rest then please review._


	11. Chapter 11

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 11**

**I would first like to thank those who have reviewed. I hope that you have enjoyed the story. I noticed that a lot of people are reading but only a few are reviewing. I have thought this over and I have decided that I will not beg. I am a lady and I have too much pride to resort to begging.**

…

…**.**

…**..**

**PLEASE I'm begging you, review and I shall love all of you for a thousand lifetimes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the following…**

**Emily, Ephraim, Abigail, and any food used in the production of this work.**

**Any who try to steal the food from the set shall feel my wrath.**

**Let's continue with the story shall we…**

**Lyrics This is my Idea **

**Derek** I can't believe I'm stuck with her all summer  
I'll bet she doesn't wrestle, hunt or box  
**Odette** He looks conceited  
**Derek** What a total bummer  
**Odette & Dere**k If I get lucky I'll get chicken pox  
**Derek** So happy you could come  
**Odette** So happy to be here  
**Odette & Derek** How I'd like to run  
**Odette **This is not my idea  
**Derek** This isn't my idea  
**Odette & Derek **Of fun

**King William** Good heavens, child, don't dawdle  
We can't keep Derek waiting  
**Odette** I haven't packed or washed my hair  
And father I get seasick  
**Queen Uberta** She soon will be arriving  
Is that respect you're showing  
**Derek** You make me kiss her hand again  
I swear I'm gonna be sick

_The only point on which they didn't disagree  
Was that the very thought of summertime  
Was dreaded_

**Derek** She tries to talk me into playing dress-up  
She's always flirting with the castle guards  
**Bromley** I think you really sorta like her, 'fess up  
**Derek **I'd like her better if she'd lose at cards  
Four sevens and a ten  
**Odette** I think I've won again  
**Derek & Bromley** Every time she's won  
**Odette** This is my idea  
**Derek** This isn't my idea  
**Odette & Derek** Of fun

Soundtrack belongs to the movie Swan Princess

* * *

It was the summer in which I would turn ten years old. It was also the same summer in which the demon from next door got accepted into a wizarding school. According to my aunt he had been offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. Not only was he given an invitation but he had declined the offer. My aunt said that he was waiting the reply of another school. It was supposed to be a very strict school for wizards. It seemed that both of his parents had gone to that school when they were young.

When I asked my aunt the name of the school, she could only shrug her shoulders in response. I would have asked him myself if I wasn't busy thinking of a way to get him back. That summer I was finally able to get my revenge…

_It had been only a week but I was ready to set out my revenge. I vowed he would remember never to mess with me ever again. I slowly made my way across the yard towards the group of boys. I held the nice stack of papers close to me. My lips threatened to split my cheeks apart from all the smiling. Slowly I could see him turn around. One of his friends had pointed me out to him._

"_You again I would have thought that you would have learned by now."_

_I gave him the best innocent smile I could muster before replying. "Oh I did trust me," with that I began to pass out each of the flyers to every one of the boys except him. He looked like he was just going to ignore me when his friends began to laugh. Whoever said revenge didn't bring happiness was obviously wrong._

"_What's going on? What's so funny?" When no one answered he became angry and ended up snatching one of the flyers. "Give me that. I don't see what's so-."_

_He didn't finish I could see the color drain from his face. There was only one thing left for me to say, "Who's the 'pendeja' now?" I threw the flyers and walked away by the time I was halfway across the yard he managed to respond._

"_I'll get you for this."_

"_Go ahead and try."_

_I had kept one of the flyers as a personal trophy. My eyes looked down on the picture that was located there smack in the middle. Underneath the words that read "pink really is his color," had a picture of him in a dress. It wasn't any ordinary dress it was pink, full of ruffles and ribbons. He was scowling at the camera when the picture was taken. His brother had forced him in a dress for going into his room. When his mother saw him in a dress she couldn't resist. She had said that she always wanted a picture of a girl. I figured if I shared this with the world that maybe he might realize it was time to get out of the closet. His mother had always wanted a daughter after all._

After that incident I had continued with various forms of torture. It was a few days after that I was caught by my aunt. I had ruined his most prized possession unfortunately my aunt had found out. She began to lecture me while trying to fix the damage that had been done.

"_You, young lady sit right there." I did as I was told and continued to pout. This was his entire fault why couldn't he take it like a man._

"_You poor dear I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into her but I'll see what I can do about this." He was just sitting there with that stupid innocent façade. I was not fooled he was lying through his teeth._

"_I'm not sure myself. One moment I wanted to just say hello and the next she attacks me."_

"_You little lia-."_

"_Emily that is enough behave yourself young lady."_

"_How can I when that little bugger is lying-."_

"_I said that's enough Emily. Now I want you to apologize."_

"_Why should I-."_

"_Emily" My aunt was giving me that look that said not to argue. Oh how I hated him to the depths of damnation._

"_Fine! I'm Sorry okay!" When she continued to give me that look I continued. "*Sighs* I'm sorry for using a cutting spell to cut your hair. Are you happy now!"_

_Earlier that afternoon before any of this had happened. He had been playing with his friends when I had noticed how much he kept touching his precious hair. It reminded of the time he made me look like a complete idiot on the broomstick. Like the saying goes an eye for an eye in this case his hair for my humiliation._

_I thought it was only fair that I ruin his stupid hair. After all his ego needed to be taken down a few pegs. It was just a simple spell that could cut tapestries. I simply used it to cut his hair with it. I had only wanted to cut a few chunks here and there but no he had to be a big baby. He went off to complain to my aunt and told her what I did. He complains too much so what if one side was longer than the other, big deal. That didn't give them any right to deprive me of my cream puffs._

_The very next day didn't go so well I had lost my temper. In my defense this was all his fault. This was in no way my fault. He had bought a box full of cream puffs and had devoured them right in front of me. I had tried to control myself but he kept taunting me with their creamy filling and outer texture. I had seen him split the little ball of heaven in half before slowly popping it into his mouth. Before I knew it i had knocked him to the ground while I smacked him with the small shovel i had found. It had taken both my uncle and aunt to finally pry my off the jerk. If they hadn't i would have probably killed him.  
_

"It's been a while Emily."

"You're right it has been a long time you jerk."

"I see you grew quite a bit."

"Yes I can now be considered a woman. I'm surprised you noticed."

"Oh I noticed but I wasn't talking about that type of growing. What I meant was that you seemed to have grown to the sides. Pity you were supposed to grow a womanly figure instead you grew manlier curves. Instead of your boobs growing your stomach was the one that did the most expanding."

I wanted to tell myself that whatever he said did not affect me. He was just being a jerk and this had nothing to do with me. How dare he talk about me like that, what does he know anyways. I for one know that I did grow womanly curves. If he wants to be a jerk about it then he can go fall in a ditch somewhere.

"As a matter a fact I don't care what you think. I am a woman; whether you see that or not is your problem."

"You keep telling yourself that well as much as I love humiliating you, I have to go."

I didn't even bother responding I went back inside where my aunt and uncle were waiting.

* * *

"Would you two get a room." It was Sirius he was referring to Remus and me. It had been a while since we got back to school but we couldn't stop kissing. We were in the room of requirement we had come here to get a book and had ended up kissing.

"Well Padfoot we did find a room to ourselves until you decided to come in." I couldn't respond since I was hiding my face. Even though it hadn't been the first time we had been caught it still caused me to get flustered.

"Look Moony just because you found yourself a girl. It does not mean you can go snogging her every five seconds."

"Padfoot leave Moony alone besides isn't this, what you wanted." – Prongs

"Yes I did I just didn't expect to be out shinned by Moony here."

"What are you talking about Padfoot?" – Moony

"Haven't you heard what the students have been saying about you?"

"What have they been saying about him?" Now I was curious what had they been saying.

"They are calling him the new heartthrob. I used to be the main heartthrob then Prongs came in second because let's face it his bonkers over Evans."

"I do not like Evans!"

"Yeah, yeah, anyways I'm supposed to be the only heartthrob not Moony here. They're saying he's got better moves than me. Now the only one the hot girls ask for is Moony. Do you know what it does to my reputation?"

He continued on his rant for a while we decided to leave him to his own devices.

"Well looks like you have competition Emily the best of luck to you both." Those were the words that James left me before leaving me alone with Remus.

"What does he mean by competition? I'm confused… Remus?"

"He didn't mean anything by it we should go now."

"Okay."

* * *

It was the last two months before school ended and everyone was busy. Whether they were studying for the O.W.L's or they were just busy trying to study for finals. My good friend Lily had the foresight to come to my aid. It was a known fact that I can get easily distracted; it was also a known fact that my biggest distraction came in the form of a certain blue eyed Marauder. That is how I found myself in my current predicament. Lily along with the rest of the Marauders that did not include Remus had banned me from seeing him. I believe their exact words were…

"_You are not allowed to be with Remus until after your finals. Is that clear?" – Lily_

"_*pouts* yes maám."_

"_You are not allowed anymore Remus time. Is that understood?" - James_

"_But-"_

"_No buts."- Sirius_

_Then when I tried to see him behind their backs I was caught by none other than the two demons._

_*Whack*_

_*Whimpers*_

"_Bad Emily, what did we say?"- Sirius_

"_Emily can't see Remus." I try my kicked puppy face on them but it doesn't work._

"_And what did we say happens if you disobey?"_

"_Emily, get's cookie," enters my smiley face and I make a heart shape with my fingers._

_*Whack*_

_Places hands over head to lessen the blows_

"_Owie"_

"_No, now repeat what we told you."_

"_*sighs* if Emily tries to see Remus then Emily gets whacked with a rolled up Daily Prophet."_

_*Whacks*_

"_What was that for?"_

"_That was a friendly reminder."_

"_*mumbles* I hate you all."_

If you are wondering why the love of my life did not come to my rescue all I can say is this is all one big conspiracy. They had lied to Remus and told him that I was the one that wanted some time alone to study. Then they bribed me with chocolate chip cookies so I wouldn't tell. Hey! I know what you're thinking you are probably wondering why I would sell myself for cookies. Don't judge me I'm weak besides they were a fresh batch. I had no choice.

Okay maybe I'm blowing this all out of proportion. I mean it's only three weeks that I have to stay away from him. *Psh* That's easy, I can handle that. I bet it'll be over before I know it. What's a few weeks compared to a lifetime? I can do this it'll be a piece of cake. I am a mature independent witch that can handle anything. I'll just take this a day at a time. No big deal right Mister Waffles? You see he agrees…

* * *

AHHHH! I can't take this if I don't see him soon I am going to go mad. How the hell do they expect me to survive? Especially with every witch from school coming to me to say they are sorry I got dumped so soon. What the bloody hell is going on? I can't take it anymore I have to see him. Okay calm down I'm just over reacting again. I just need to take a deep breath in and let it out. I can be calm I am supposed to be strong willed besides I know that we didn't break up. Everything that they are saying are just rumors. So there is no reason to panic…right?

Since I couldn't see Remus I thought it would be best to talk to Lily about my current predicament. I had hoped that maybe she would take pity on me and let me see him. That was not what I got.

"_Lily please let me see him. Pretty please just two minutes. I can't take this anymore have mercy."_

"_Aren't you being a little dramatic?" – Snape deadpanned._

"_You stay out of this. Please Lily."_

"_Emily I don't think you should besides it hasn't even been that long." – Lily_

"_Are you insane it feels like an eternity."_

"_It's only been six hours" – Lily_

"_Exactly six hours do you know what that can do to me?"_

"_*scoffs* Why, are you having trouble controlling your hormones?"_

"_I said Shut Up!"_

_*Whacks*_

_*Smacks*_

_

* * *

_

Okay I have officially made it to the end of week one. See that wasn't so bad just two more to go.

…

…..

…

I'm doomed.

I was on my way towards the library to meet Lily. I was a bit early but I figured if I couldn't see Remus then what was the point in going anywhere else. Everyone was also studying so I figured I might as well do something productive with my time. Before I could reach the third floor I was promptly yanked into a small closet. Okay I wasn't expecting that. I was maybe expecting buttermilk pancakes just not this. Before I could even utter a word in edge wise a pair of familiar lips came crashing down on mine.

It didn't take long for my own lips to respond back. It had been too long since I felt his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as my hands began to run through his brown locks. In less than a minute my back was against the wall as one of his hands wrapped around my waist while the other was in my hair. When we finally pulled back to get some air he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it I missed you." His mouth had been next to my ear. The words he had whispered had sent silent chills down my spine. His voice was like a mixture of velvet and chocolate. It was the sweetest type of temptation. I had missed his voice for far too long. I couldn't trust myself to speak his kiss had left me speechless. But I had to tell him how much I had missed him. He needed to know that I had missed him just as much so I showed him instead.

At first I kissed him softly cradling his face between my hands. He responded in the same way. With soft kisses I was explaining to him something that words could not. He understood his kisses told me so. Slowly our kisses became more desperate. I never wanted to stop this. This is where I belonged. Here in his arms being kissed by his lips and only his. In that moment I realized that I would no longer be able to let go. His kisses had become my breath of fresh air and his arms had become my safety net. No other kiss could compare to his. My lips would no longer be able to accept any others. I became his, the moment his eyes met mine, the moment his lips touched mine and this moment the moment he whispered…

"I love you."

"I love you too"

Authors note: okay this is probably one of the shortest chapters I have written. I felt that it needed to stop there. If you like this then please I beg of you send me feedback.


	12. Chapter 12

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 12**

I am so sorry!

I ended up with a fever and was sick for the past couple of days. So please don't maim me.

Also I didn't want to say this but I think I'm going to cry. I love all of your reviews so much. I honestly wanted to stop writing but after reading your reviews. I knew that I had to keep going. Your reviews are my inspiration to give you the best of the best. So please enjoy.

Oh one more thing...

InsignificantBlimp - Love your review especially the threats they make me feel special.

lolie - I love your review i'm so glad you love the couple. I just hope that everyone has fallen in love with the couple as much as i have.

Weirdgirlwithwings - i adore you for three life times thanks for your support

Echo Uchiha - your awesome thanks for your lovely reviews.

Charlie300895 - Thank you so much i would give you one of my precious cookies if i could.

CCCookiexC3 - okay i left you last cuz i absolutely love your question. I'm sure that u realize but when i read your question it made super happy. I am so glad you ask that. In answer to your question is that yes she will be finding out real soon. The reason why i'm excited is because the scene in which she finds out about him being a werewolf is the scene i've been waiting for. that scene was the reason why i began writing this story in the first place. I just hope it comes out they way i want it to come out. Well enjoy

* * *

I'll believe all your lies

Just pretend you love me

Make believe

Close your eyes

I'll be anything for you

- Anything for You

* * *

Tonk's POV

The first time I saw him was when I was eight, he was ten at the time. It was during that same year that my parents decided to spend the summer at Singapore. They thought it would be best for me to spend the summer away from all the stares. Everyone had gotten word of me and of what I am. I hated the stares they made me feel like I shouldn't exist. I'm different I know that but being different isn't always a good thing. Being different is just another way of explaining why you're alone.

The feeling of solitude is not something that can be sympathized. It can only be understood by those who have felt it for themselves. The first time I saw him I realized that he was just like me. I could see it in the way he would spend his time alone. He understood what I felt better than anyone else.

It was during our stay at a local village that I met him. I had been on my way to the market when I began to lose control of myself. I began to shape shift, my hair color changed even my features. I was afraid of the stares. I almost broke down then and there. That was when I saw him, the first time I saw those blue eyes. He had become my salvation, my rock. He had offered me friendship and not once did I feel judged by him. He was the reason I was able to finally express myself fully.

In that summer I had met one of my best friends and my first love.

I fell in love like those fairytale books. You know that saying "love at first sight." It was something like that.

xxx

For every summer we spent together it became that much harder to stop my feelings from growing.

The summers turned into two in which I met the Marauders. My summers would then be consumed by them. It was then I realized I couldn't stop myself from loving him.

xxx

By then I knew him better than anyone else. I knew that he would continue to see me as a friend and only a friend but that was enough. Well that's what I kept telling myself. As long as I am able to spend these moments together with him nothing else matters.

But like all good things this was only a short lived dream. A dream that I would soon be forced to wake up from.

xxx

Even though I saw it coming from miles away my heart on the other hand was left unprepared.

It was the summer of his second year. Like ever break we had met at the Potters. Everything looked and seemed pretty much like the old days.

Like any child I assumed that things would stay like this forever. Eventually the letters they would send me became different. Something was different…there was someone else that had appeared.

Remus along with the others would tell me stories of their adventures in Hogwarts. Normally the stories would be filled with pranks and all kinds of mischief but this time someone knew was in the picture. A girl named Emily had joined them in becoming a Marauder.

I knew that Remus liked her or was at least interested by the way he talked about her in his letters. I would just brush it off after all it was probably just a phase and soon he will look my way.

It took me a while to realize that I was only holding onto childish fantasies. This wasn't some fairytale in which the ugly duckling marries prince charming. This is just me the girl who can change her appearance that falls in love with an unattainable love.

xxx

Every time she was brought up I felt afraid. I was afraid that this girl could take away my most important person.

It wasn't until he came barging into my home. That I realized that it was the first time in years since I've seen so out of character. It wasn't until he said the words "I like Emily," that I felt the first stab to the heart. It hurt but I wouldn't…I couldn't let him see. I smiled my fake smile because I love him and love causes people to do things for the one they love.

xxx

Every time he would mention Emily in his letters I could feel my heart break little by little. He would ask for advice and like all fools in love I answered. It was hard I had to keep telling myself that the pain would go away. That I would stop feeling this pain or that he would look in my direction. That someday he would realize how much I love him.

Then the day came when he stopped writing. I assumed that he was busy with studies but when the Christmas Holidays rolled around I realized why. I had found out in the worst way possible. We had been sitting around the table. When Sirius stood up and in the bluntest way possible announced that Remus was no longer single. I had felt my heart come to a sudden stop. I could no longer hear the uproars of applause all I could hear was the agonizing pounding of my heart.

I kept trying to tell myself that it can't happen. It won't because she doesn't know him the way I do. She can't possibly love him or need him as much as I do. I wanted to tell him not to get near her. My heart kept screaming for me to do something but when Remus placed a concerned hand on my arm my walls crumbled. He was worried. I had no right to tell him anything if this was what he wanted, then so be it. With trembling lips I managed to give him a fake smile because that's the best I could do. I smiled for him while I broke from the inside.

I would smile and hope for his happiness. If she is the one he chooses then I can only wish for his happiness because in the end his happiness is all that matters.

As long as he is happy then I'll pretend to be happy.

I will pretend for his sake.

* * *

Emily's POV

I was a bit worried it was the first time that I would be meeting his parents. I wasn't prepared at all. He had asked me a few weeks ago and since I can never say no to him I ended up responding yes right away. It took a few hours before his words sunk in. I wasn't sure what to expect all I could do was hope for the best.

"Nervous?" I was standing next to Remus in front of our meeting place. He had offered to get me from home but considering that I no longer live at home I suggested meeting elsewhere.

"Are you kidding, why would I be nervous. There is nothing wrong with meeting the parents of my boyfriend." Okay by now I'm practically hyperventilating. Remus was looking at me with a concerned look and one that said I wasn't fooling anyone. "Okay! Maybe I'm a little nervous but I'm okay really."

I wish I believed that but sadly I didn't. In a matter of moments we had arrived at a small house located near the edge of Fenrir Forest. Open entering we were greeted by three people.

"Remus darling, guess who came to visit." I turned to see a young girl with bright pink hair standing by the fire place. In a matter of moments Remus had left my side to give her a hug.

"Tonks what are you doing here? It's great to see you. I thought you were going to stay at Prongs place."

"Remus it's nice to see you too. I was planning on staying at the Potters but I realized that I hadn't seen your parents in awhile and decided to visit. I hope that you don't mind."

"Not at all, you know you're always welcomed. Actually I'm really glad you're here there's someone I want you to meet."

During their entire interaction I had been shifting from foot to foot. I didn't know anyone and I also didn't know what to do.

"Mom, Dad I want all of you, to meet Emily." I had gone completely frozen when all of their eyes landed on me. For a moment I expected them to laugh or kick me out. I don't think they realized that Remus had brought me along because all of them seemed surprised. The first out of all of them to snap out of it was the girl. She was the first to take a step towards.

"It's nice to finally meet you Emily. My name is Dora Tonks but you can just call me Tonks." She gave me a warm smile and offered me a hand. I was able to relax a bit her carefree attitude seemed to rub off on me a bit.

"It's nice to meet you too." After that everything else seemed to go a lot smoother. His parents gave me a warm welcome. We all sat down drinking milk and cookies that Mrs. Lupin made while stories were being exchanged.

The most interesting of stories came from the girl. The more I got to know her the more I became amazed at her assurance. She had such an upbeat attitude, always joking and making funny faces as a way to entertain us.

"Okay I got a better one I believe it happened about a month ago." Tonks was going to explain one of her many adventures using her hands to express it. "I was on my way minding my own business when I heard a noise coming from an alley. I had stopped and was going to just walk away when I heard the noise again. I mean what else was I supposed to do? So I did the only sensible thing I went in."

"That's not being sensible that's being nosy."

"You be quiet Remus. I'm telling my awesome story can't you see. Besides I'm not nosy I'm just naturally curious that's all."

"Right, that's what you said when you decided to see if dragons could actually throw fire."

"Well at least now we know that they can."

"No, you're just lucky you can grow your hair back."

"Okay, so my hair got caught on fire so what minor mishaps no big deal."

Eventually we lost track of time and it became too late for me and Tonks to travel. Therefore they had me and Tonks to share a room. I didn't mind I just didn't like being an inconvenience to anyone.

That night Tonks and me spent the night getting to know each other better. I wanted to know more about her, she knew Remus before I did. I wanted to know everything about him and she's great. In all honesty I wouldn't mind having her as a best friend. The more I thought about it the more I realized that she was the type of person I always wanted to be. I wanted to be like her; independent, confident, life of the party and someone who can make the people around her happy by just being near her.

It wasn't hard to see that Remus's parents love her. They treated her like the daughter they never had and I could see why.

The following morning I woke up earlier than I should have. I'm not even sure what caused to me to get up all I know is that I soon found myself going outside. I always loved the smell of fresh air in the mornings it was the most pleasant feeling. I would have just stayed there standing in the peaceful serenity but I hear voices.

Slowly I followed the voices. They seemed to belong to both Remus and Tonks. When I realized that it really was them I turned to leave. I didn't want to eavesdrop but when I heard my name I stopped. Something told me I shouldn't but my body wouldn't move I was curious as to what they were talking about.

"What? I'm sorry I didn't hear you."

"Does she know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Emily does she know about you…about you being-?"

"No, she doesn't."

"Remus-."

"I haven't told her not yet."

"I see"

"It's okay you don't have to feel sorry or worried."

"I didn't say anything."

"I know you. I know your worried about me buts it's okay. I just don't want to lose her just yet. That's why I haven't told her. I know she will eventually find out but until then I want to enjoy this time I have with her."

"Don't talk like that you don't even know how she will react. For all you know she couldn't care less about that. If you really care about her then give her a chance. I know I've only just met her but I know that she really cares about you. Please just think it over."

I didn't stay for the rest of their conversation. I didn't know exactly what they were talking about but from what it sounded like he wasn't telling me something. It hurt to think he didn't trust me but I didn't want to say anything after all everyone has their secrets. I have to right to demand anything from him. He had already given me more than enough.

The rest of my stay ended up quite pleasant. I already fell in love with his parents. They are two of the kindest people I know. Not only that but I made a new friend in the form of Dora Tonks. After saying my goodbyes Remus took me to Diagon Alley.

"You see that wasn't so bad now was it."

"You're right it wasn't what can I say I over reacted. I'm glad I went. I had a good time."

"I'm glad now are you-."

"Emily! There you are. We went to your house to see you but you weren't there. We would have waited but when Eleanor told us that you haven't been home for two days we began to worry." It was my aunt and uncle I had forgotten to leave a note.

"I'm so sorry uncle and aunt I didn't mean to scare you. I was just meeting Remus's parents and well I lost track of time. Oh by the way this is Remus the one I've been telling you about."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Remus extended his hand like a gentleman leaving my aunt gawking.

"So you're Remus the one my niece had been in love with since-." I had placed a hand on my aunt's mouth. I didn't need her spilling my secrets for the whole world.

"Why don't we continue this conversation at home? I hope that you will join us." My uncle was referring to Remus. I was a bit worried knowing my aunt and uncle they would most likely do something crazy. I just hoped that I was wrong on my prediction.

Nope I was right. At the moment my uncle was telling Remus that if he wanted to be my boyfriend there was something he had to do. He would have to face off against his pet dragon. It took me a while to convince my uncle to take it back but it took even longer to get Remus not to accept. Maybe all these years of hanging out with James and Sirius was rubbing off on him.

The worst part came when my aunt kept handing him every embarrassing baby picture of me possible. I tried to stay as calm as possible but when my aunt proceeded to take out the old tapes I lost it. It was one thing to show baby pictures it was quite another to show him actual recordings of my misfortune. I drew the line at that. I did not want him to see any of it especially the part I walked into a poll. I would die right then and there of pure and utter embarrassment.

He wasn't helping the situation since he's taller than me therefore I can't bloke his view. I can officially say that my life is over. How dare they betray me.

After that little fiasco we had dinner when my uncle began to tell Remus of all of his adventures. My uncle loves telling people of the rare species he finds. He especially likes one where he has to run for his life.

"That's nothing compared to the most ferocious of creatures. Did you know there is a creature that can get angry at the smallest of things?" - uncle

"No I don't think I've heard of one."- Remus

"Well this monster has claws and fangs but you only see then when she becomes angry." - uncle

"So it's a she." Remus

"Of course it's a she. She even has an annoying high pitch voice." - uncle

"What in the blazes are you talking about!" – my aunt Abigail

"Do you see what I mean she's worse if she doesn't get her beauty sleep." I could see my aunt twitching next to him.

"Are you talking about ME!"

"Who else is more ferocious *SMACK*"

"How dare you I am a delicate flower."

"Right sure you are."

*SMACK*

*BAM*

"The monster is loose someone help me."

I sweat dropped you would think that I would be worried or freaked out sadly this happened almost daily. I was about to apologize to Remus but when I looked at him he was laughing. He had been doing that a lot lately. I was glad that he was able to relax more openly.

PS: Okay sorry my peoples I'm leaving it here please review if you want to read the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 13**

**Okay seriously I shouldn't even be online cuz I'm being banned from the internet. Long story short I'm breaking a bunch of rules but after reading your reviews I had to post the next part. I was actually planning on putting the story on hold for another two days. Well mainly because I have a bunch of stuff to do but I when I read all your reviews. I ended up telling myself no I have to write the next part so here it is.**

**Oh and special thanks to…**

**Weirdgirlwithwings**** – They do I keep reading them over and over I love all of your reviews.**

**DaRk-AnGeL2596**

**I absolutely love questions. Normally I don't like to give anything away but since you were so nice as to bother to type questions for me I'll answer.**

**Question: Does Tonks later on confess to Remus andcause trouble? Don't get me wrong I like her I just hope it doesn't.**

**She does but maybe not in the way you imagined. I love Tonks too that's why I didn't want to make her evil.**

**Question: Are you going to continue this story like after their seventh year and Lily and James die and harry is born? Or are yo going to make a sequel!**

**In all honesty I would very much like to write a sequel. I actually have it all planned out but that's up to the reviewers**

**cazzette**

**You have no Idea how happy it makes me feel to hear you say you love my characters. To be honest I had never thought about Remus at all until I dreamt about it. My dream turned into this lovely story.**

**.**

**I'm glad you love my story so far thanks for the review.**

**CCCookiexC3**

**I am so glad that you love my Tonks POV.**

**Charlie300895**

**Your funny lets be friends. Thanks for the review**

**Echo Uchiha**

**Your awesome Echo Uchiha thanks for the awesome reviews**

**

* * *

**

There's nothing else to lose

There's nothing left to find

There's nothing in the world

That could change my mind

…

I'm falling even more in love with

You

Letting go of all I've held onto

I'm standing here until you make me

Move

I'm hanging by a moment here with

You

- Hanging by a moment by: Lifehouse

* * *

Emily's POV

Time had flown by rather quickly it was already the second week of fourth year. It felt like it was only yesterday that I ran into James in the hallway. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would end up with Remus. It felt like a dream come true. Actually it is way better than some dream. My imagination could never come close to the real thing.

"Emily what are you spacing out about." It was Lily I hadn't seen her throughout the summer. It had been a while but she looked even prettier than before.

"Lily, oh sorry I was just thinking how lucky I am."

"Let me guess you were thinking about Remus. Let me guess you were thinking about all those unforgettable kisses."

I could feel the heat of my cheeks rise to the tips of my roots.

"Is it that obvious?"

"What's obvious?" I could feel myself turn just a few shades darker of all the luck. Of all the people it had to be Remus who had heard part of the conversation.

"Remus it's nice to see you. Well I think I better go. I'll leave you two alone. Bye Emily." Yup I'm going to kill Lily when I find her.

"Bye Lily. So do you mind telling me why your face is red?" I could see it in his blue eyes, he was teasing me. Well he can keep batting those beautiful blue eyes all he wants. Under no circumstances will I give in. I don't care how adorable he looks. So what if he's even more gorgeous when he looks at me like that.

Oh who am I kidding? "*sighs* *mumbles* because I keep spacing off."

"Oh and what is it that you think about while spacing out."

"*mumbles* you…*cough* kissing me." – Emily puts her two index fingers together while avoiding eye contact.

In one swift movement Remus had captured my lips with his. I felt my knees turn into jelly which reminds me I want Jell-O.

"I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat it again?" He was smiling. He was teasing me and both of us knew it. Instead of repeating my previous source of embarrassment I did the next best thing I showed him.

"What is it with you two? Can't you two keep your hands off each other for two seconds?" It had to be Sirius who ruined my moment. That's it he was now officially added on my hit list. Yes I have a hit list on all those who get in the way of either me and my food or Remus and me.

"Envy is such an ugly color on you Padfoot." James along with the rest of the Marauders had come.

"I am not envious Prongs. I for one like being single, I get to snog any girl I want."

"Whatever you say Padfoot just leave the two love birds alone."

Xxx

Remus's POV

It was almost that time again. The closer it gets to that time the stronger the pounding in my head becomes. I had almost forgotten that it would be Emily's birthday but from the looks of it I don't think I'll be able to go. It was just my luck for the full moon to land on that day. I was running out of excuses.

I was tired of lying but I'm selfish. I want to keep her with me as long as possible. I know she deserved better someone who can't be a danger to her safety. I have thought of telling her but every time I want to she smiles and I can't do it. I'm afraid of how she will react. I had seen it before the look of horror and disgust. I never want to see her look like that. So I'm going to continue to be selfish for as long as I can.

Xxx

"Hey Moony you ready?"- Prongs

"Yeah I just need to do something first. I'll meet you two later we'll leave in the afternoon." – Remus

I didn't know what to tell her this time. The last time I told her my mother was sick she ended up wanting to come along. I couldn't have her follow me but I had to think of something.

I found her in the library with Lily. I didn't think they would notice me arrive but Emily was the first to jump from her seat towards me. She had a big smile on her face it looked like she had been eating cream puffs. I could see a bit of the cream on her cheek. When she reached me the first thing I did was wipe the cream off. I could see her cheeks turn red from embarrassment. Every time she blushed like that I couldn't help but want to kiss her. The color suited her nicely.

"Remus, did you come to study?"

"No, I came looking for you. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a sec."

"Sure," She smiled up at me before turning towards Lily. "Lily I'll be back in a bit save some cream puffs pretty please." Then she began to skip towards the exit. I'm not sure she realized all the stares she received which made me smile. This is the way she should stay happy and carefree.

"Is something wrong?" We had found a deserted classroom.

"No, nothing is wrong. I have to go home today and I won't be back for two days."

"Oh okay well be careful and say hi to your parents for me." I could see it she's sad but I couldn't bring her along.

"I'm sorry I won't be here to celebrate your birthday. I thought I should give you your present now." I think she forgot her own birthday because she looked confused for a bit.

"Oh that's right I forgot how embarrassing." I handed her a small box with a bow on top.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay be careful." I placed a small kiss on her lips before leaving.

Xxx

Emily's POV

"Is something wrong?" It was Lily I had gone back to the library after saying goodbye to Remus. Something was bugging me it had to do with Remus always having to leave. I know that I should trust him but I just felt like he didn't trust me. I know I shouldn't think that way but I still felt it.

"Do you think Remus trusts me?" I know it was a stupid question but I needed to know.

"Of course he does what made you think differently?"

"Well I don't know if you noticed but all of them leave around the same time. Yet not once have they ever invited me or at least told me what they do. I know it's not my business but I- never mind forget what I said. Maybe I've been studying too long. I'll see you later." I didn't wait for her reply.

I just wanted to get some food and forget about all these bad feelings. I love Remus and he loves me so there is no reason why I should feel upset. When he's ready he'll tell me I know he will.

While I was contemplating my own inner turmoil I forgot to look where I was going. I ended up on the wrong side of the wing. Just when I was going to turn back I heard voices it sounded like two people talking.

"You want to join ha don't make me laugh."

"I wasn't asking for your permission Bellatrix."

"Oh but you see that is where you are wrong. The Dark Lord has asked me specifically watch over any of the new recruits. If you want me to report good things about you then you are going have to start begging me."

"I didn't think there was anyone that the Dark Lord would trust least of all you."

"Look here Snape I-. Wait I here something I believe we have an audience."

I took a deep breath in I was afraid. Did I do something that caused them to hear me? I was too afraid to move.

"Lucious is there a reason why you are listening in on my conversations."

"If you weren't so loud I wouldn't be forced to have to watch you. If the Dark Lord finds out that you have revealed anything you know what will happen."

"Don't you dare threaten me Lucious." Just when I was going to get a closer look I accidentally stubbed my toe. I let out a small yelp in response. "Who's there?"

I ran as fast as I could I couldn't let them see me. I had heard stories of those who worked for the "Dark Lord." Everything I had heard always meant bad news.

Xxx

I had completely forgotten about my earlier predicament. I had just finished dinner and had gone outside to get some fresh air. I think I lost track of time again because I didn't realize how late it had gotten. Just when I was planning on heading back inside when I saw a figure, come out of the forbidden forest.

I didn't think much of it, I just when towards the person. They were limping, normally when I saw someone I had never met before I stay away. For some reason I just couldn't. They just seemed way too familiar. When I finally reached them I held out a hand to help them.

"Are you okay?" Her face jerked upwards towards mine, she seemed surprised to see me.

"What do you want? I don't need your help." She tried to smack my hand away but now I could see her more clearly it was Bellatrix. What was she doing all the way out here and is that blood?

"You're bleeding."

"Just leave me alone you mudblood lover."

"Look you can hate me all you want but you're injured. If you keeping pushing yourself like that you'll just end up bleeding all over the place."

"I said get away from me." Those were the last words she spoke before passing out. Even though she was being a little rude I couldn't leave her alone like this. So I made up my mind and took her inside.

I wasn't really sure what she was up to but I figured taking her to the nurse's office might not be such a great idea. Thankfully my uncle had giving me some pills and herbs that could help her. Whatever it was she did I don't think it ended well.

By the time I was able to reach an empty classroom she had woken up again.

"Oh it's you, what are you still doing here? Didn't I say to leave me alone?"

"You did but I ignored you and took you here unless you prefer I take you to madam Agatha."

"No don't you dare. No one can know about this. If you tell anyone I'll-."

"Look you don't have to threaten me. I'm not going to say anything I don't really care what you do. If you have secrets keep them. Whatever it is that you're doing I just hope it's worth it on your account."

"What are you talking about? Shouldn't you be saying that I shouldn't do evil things?"

"In my opinion I don't think there is such a thing as evil. Maybe people that have been miss lead but not evil. Everyone has reason for doing certain things. I just think it's fair to judge unless you hear the whole story."

"Ha you really do belong with Lupin. How pathetic, you should be careful who you help. Others might not be so grateful."

"You're probably right but I'm sure that I would still do it."

"What a load of-."

"Look Bellatrix I know that you may not like anybody. Even though I don't understand why but everyone needs help sometimes. If you do need help you can come to me."

"And why would I do that?" She Scoffs.

"Its just an offer its up to you if you'll take it. Here this will help with the pain. I have to go now."

With that I ended up leaving I don't understand why but I don't think Bellatrix is all that bad.

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Ps: Okay I'm leaving it here for those who are waiting for a certain chapter its coming up on the next.


	14. Chapter 14

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 14**

**Jagbsjhdbjhsbjdbkjs… sorry about that I'm just too excited. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but this chapter is the reason why this story exists. This scene is what made me fall in love with Remus and Emily. I hope all of you love Remus and Emily as much as I do. Okay, I tried really hard to make this the best of the best. Oh and I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't so great. I just hope this makes up for it. So please Enjoy!**

**Oh and special thanks to…**

**Weirdgirlwithwings- I'm glad you liked it. It wasn't one of my best but I was just too excited to write this chapter to focus on the last.**

**Charlie300895 -Well happy b-layeded birthday to you. I'm sorry the last chapter was so crapy I just hope this makes up for it.**

**Kaighla -I am convinced I love your review. Oh um I never mentioned this but my original Emily wasn't supposed to be so obsessed with food. That's actually my trait but oh well everyone seems to like her like that so I'm glad it worked out.**

**Echo Uchiha -Well to answer the being banned from the net lets just say my time is being counted for. As for your Hermione and Draco fic I wonder what you planned to do with it. Oh are you going add like a love triangle sort of thing. Or do you plan on doing something along the lines of what James, Lily and Snape had.**

**DaRk-AnGeL2596 – Thank you for saying that you liked the last chapter even though I know it's crapy.**

**InsignificantBlimp – I did I'm so glad you're back. Love it the whole bus thing is a nice touch.**

**Let the story begin :)**

**...**

_There was an old saying or rather rule…_

_The rule states that a monster cannot love_

_(Whisper)_

_I am the exception…_

_But for every broken rule there is a punishment…_

* * *

Emily's POV

It was already January and my hanging doubt had yet to go away. It was still nagging me how every month Remus and the rest would just go off and disappear. He had even done so during Christmas break. At first he would tell me some excuse before leaving but now he didn't even bother. At first I had tried hard to brush it off but it just kept nagging me.

I hadn't even noticed that it had been consuming my every thought; until Lily had to stop me from running into a wall. It seemed that it was just getting worse and it wasn't going to go away anytime soon. At first I just tried to ignore my thoughts, it seemed like it might work. That was until I was confronted by Lucious.

Actually no, scratch that, it started with Narcissa first.

_I was on my way to meet the rest. James wanted us to meet up; it most likely had something to do with a new prank. Like always I had forgotten that there was a change of plans because they had to leave again. I ended up wandering the corridors with nothing better to do. I couldn't go to Lily since she had gotten sick with the flue. That left me alone and bored not to mention hungry. That's when she came to me. I was there eating some cream puffs under a tree when she found me._

_"Haha," it was Narcissa and she seemed to be laughing to herself. Okay I know there are a lot of people who are a bit crazy. I should know since I'm one of those people but who in their right mind comes up to someone only to laugh to themselves._

_"Um do you want a cream puff?" I figured maybe the heat had gotten to her._

_"Do you know why I'm laughing?" Was that supposed to be a trick question?_

_"Cuz you want a cream puff?"_

_"No you imbecile. I laugh because I find you amusing."_

_"Okay…Look if you don't want a cream puff then what do you want?"_

_"I can see why he keeps you." I was confused who keeps who?_

_"Huh?" She gave me a nasty look saying that I was getting on her nerves. Someone obviously has issues. She gave me a sneering look before explaining._

_"I'm talking about Lupin."_

_"What about Remus?"_

_"You really are an idiot. I find it amusing how his supposed girlfriend seems to be always alone."_

_"I'm not his supposed girlfriend. I am his girlfriend."_

_"You keep telling yourself that. If he really cared about you he wouldn't be cheating on you now would he."_

_"What are you talking about? Remus would never do that. If you want to keep talking nonsense then do it somewhere else."_

_"You don't believe."_

_"No," I didn't even have to think about it. How dare she talk about him like that. It doesn't matter because I trust Remus. So I don't care what she has to say. I placed my hands over my ears when she continued talking. I know it's childish but I had accidentally eaten too many cream puffs and now I couldn't get up. Otherwise I would have walked away or at least waddled away. Stupid cream puffs and their fluffy center I shouldn't have eaten so many._

_"Stop being so childish."_

_"Never! Go away!"_

_"I'll leave only if you can answer one question."_

_"Okay I'm listening but you have to keep your promise and go away." She rolled her eyes before opening her mouth to speak._

_"Fine if you're so called boyfriend isn't cheating on you then where does he go every month?" I felt my breath hitch I had wanted to forget but she had brought it up again. I couldn't answer when I didn't even know the answer myself._

_"You don't know do you. *Hmpf* you see what I mean. Even if he weren't cheating on you, he's still keeping something hidden. If he trusted you then he would have told you. I guess you're not as important as you think you are." She left after that. I was too depressed to move. Even though I knew better than to listen to anything she said it still hurt. It hurt because her words had logic behind them. If Remus did care about me or at least trust me then he would have told me._

After that confrontation I tried to stay far away from her. I trusted Remus and that's all that mattered I don't care what anybody says. I love him and he loves me that's more than enough. For awhile I had been able to convince myself of that. I had gone back to being my old self it was a good thing I did because Remus had begun to take notice. Lately he had so worried about me that he almost forgot about his school work. I couldn't let it affect him so for him I smiled.

It had been fine but a week after meeting Narcissa I met up with Lucious. I would like to say that it was a meeting in which we settled our differences but it wasn't like that.

_"Thompson, you shouldn't be here." I looked around and realized that he was right. I had gotten lost again this was not good. This had to be the third time this week, this was really getting irritating._

_"You're right sorry I got lost." Just as I was about to turn back and leave I find him blocking my way. "Um did you need something?"_

_"I was just wondering."_

_"About what?"_

_"I'm curious if you know the reason as to why Lupin leaves every month. Have you figured it out yet?"_

_Not this again I didn't want to have this discussion. Why couldn't they just leave me alone? I had made up my mind a long time ago._

_"I don't know what you're talking about and to be honest I don't want to know."_

_"You still haven't figured it out. You really are an idiot."_

_"Okay that's it I'm tired of everyone calling me an idiot. So what if I haven't figured it out I'll find out when Remus wants me to find out. Now can you please leave me alone?"_

_"Wait what if I told you that I knew what it was that he has been hiding? What if I told you that what he is hiding is something horrible? I wonder how you would react."_

_I have had enough. All they were doing is making me upset. I don't care what they thought they knew. The only one I could ever trust is Remus._

_"I don't want to know and to be frank I don't think you know either." Just when he opened his mouth to argue I cut him off. "Look I don't care what it is that he's hiding. All I know is that I trust him. If he hasn't told me then he must have his reasons. I won't decide anything until I hear the whole story from his lips. Whatever it is I can wait. I don't care about what anybody else says. So don't waste your breath because I won't listen."_

_I didn't wait for him to respond. I simply left in the direction of the great hall._

_

* * *

_

It was the day for the Hogsmead trip but again the Marauders had left. I tried not to miss Remus but every time I saw people playing with the snow it reminded me of him. They had left in the afternoon in such a hurry that they even forgot to say good-bye. I tried not to let it bother me but I couldn't help it.

Eventually I wondered off in the direction of the shrieking shack. I even remembered a time in which I wanted to explore it. Now it just seemed like any other place. Just when I was planning on turning around to head back I see a figure. For a second it looked like Sirius had come out but that couldn't be right. The Marauders had left but if it's not them then who else? Just when I thinking that it was probably all in my head and that I should just head back. I end up catching sight of Peter.

Okay now I know I'm not imagining things. What were they doing there to begin with? Whatever it is its most likely connected to what they've been doing every month. By the time that our group headed back towards Hogwarts it was time for dinner. What I wanted to do was just act like I hadn't seen anything. To just go back to my room and forget the whole thing but my curiosity wouldn't let me.

It reminded me of something they had told me a few weeks ago. They had told me that there were secret passageways. They had gone on to explain how the Marauders map worked but they had warned me from a certain passage. They said it was too dangerous and to stay away but that wasn't the passageway I was thinking about. They had shown me a way to get into Hogsmead through the Zonko's Joke shop. At this point it was my safest way to go.

I needed to find out what was going on. It was this nagging feeling that was making me do this. Too much time had passed and the feeling just wouldn't go away. I needed to do something. A part of me new that I shouldn't but a bigger part of me just wouldn't let it go. I just couldn't understand why they would lie to me. It just didn't make any sense. Why would they say that they're going home when in fact they are just going into town?

I just had to find out what they were doing. It didn't take long for me to reach the shrieking shack. I had made sure to stay hidden so they wouldn't find out I was coming. I kept telling myself that all I wanted to do was to take a small peak. That it would be enough to satisfy my curiosity. That I would leave before anybody even realized I had left Hogwarts.

The closer I got the more noises I heard. It sounded like people talking it was a good thing that it hadn't gotten dark yet. Otherwise I would have to use my wand. It sounded like the Marauders, the first voice I could make out, sounded a lot like Sirius.

"Is it almost time?" - Sirius

"No its not, now will you stop asking." - Remus

"Relax Moony, you know how I get. It's just been a while since we transformed." – Sirius

"Watch it Padfoot." – James

"What's wrong with being a little anxious?" – Sirius

"Have you forgotten why we even became illegal Animagus." – James

"Sorry Moony I keep forgetting." – Sirius

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I just wish I didn't have to go through this every month." Remus

Their conversation had left me a little shocked. I knew what being an Animagus meant. I just couldn't understand why they would be willing to go through such a risk. Didn't they realize what could happen if they did it the wrong way. There was a reason why it was required for wizards to have supervision while doing so. Since the outcome could be irreversible. They had all become quiet after that and had stayed that way for a while. Just when I thought they might have left I heard them again.

"It's time. Is everyone ready?" –James

"It's about time!" – Sirius

"I guess I'll be leaving first then." Remus

It had gotten completely still I couldn't see anything where I was. The only thing I could do was listen in on the conversation. It sounded like creaking noises. I didn't think much of it but then I could hear screams of pain. I was too shocked to move but the screams had turned into a rougher sound. I couldn't figure out what exactly it was but soon the sound of pounding footsteps on wood could be heard. The doors from the back of the shack had been slammed open and something came running out from it.

After a few moments I could hear smaller steps follow along. Then howling like a wolf could be heard. When I figured that whatever it was had left along with the Marauders, I decided to go inside. The door creaked open as I entered. Every step I took made the sound of creaking wood vibrate throughout the whole shack. At first I wondered if maybe they were hiding somewhere here. After finding that it was completely empty I realized that they had left. I decided to look around to see if there were any clues that could explain what I heard.

I just hoped that they were okay. At the far corner of the room I saw a piano it looked old and un-used. It reminded me of a time my uncle would play the piano for me so that I could forget my fear of thunderstorms. As I passed the piano my eyes caught sight of the window. I could clearly see the full moon. It looked so beautiful but it didn't look I would get to see much of it. The sky was filled with clouds it looked like it I might rain.

"I think I should head back before it starts to rain." As I was about to turn around and leave I hear the doors of the back of the shack slam open. Whoever it was I couldn't let them see me. I ran to hide in one of the closets. I didn't close it completely I was afraid that I might lock myself inside. It wouldn't be the first time it happened to me. The first figure I could see was a big shaggy dog followed by a stag. The next two figures came in the form of a mouse and what looked like to be a wolf.

It had only been one other time that I had encountered a wolf. It was during one of my uncle's travels. That one had been more ferocious and a lot less friendly. From where I was sitting I could see some subtle changes. Wanting to get a closer look I stand closer towards the door. The wolf looked like it was morphing into a shape of a person. That could only mean that the person was suffering from Lycanthropy. I had heard of it before but it was the first time I had come across something like this.

I let out a gasp when I realized that the person who was morphing from a wolf was actually Remus. It had been the wrong move to make because everyone turned in my direction. I was just too shocked to move. It all made sense now why Remus wouldn't say anything. I understood now I just wish he had told me sooner but now it was too late. I was scared of how he would react if he found out I was snooping around. If I would have known I would have never-. It was too late to be thinking about what ifs.

The stag was the first to change back into its original form. It was James.

"Who's there, show yourself."

I was afraid I didn't want Remus to be angry. This was all my fault if I had just forgot about the whole thing I wouldn't be here right now. I could feel tears begin to prickling my eyes. I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to see his disappointed look. It would hurt too much to see but I couldn't choose. Even if I wanted to hide James wouldn't let me. All of them had heard me and now they would see. I'm so sorry Remus I never meant for this to happen.

With those last thoughts James pulled the closet door open.

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Remus's POV

This time around it was worse than the others. The clouds were getting in the way of the moon. It just meant that I would be more unbalanced than the other times. I would end up having to morph back and forth without being able to control it. It was a good thing the Marauders were with me they could prevent me from hurting anyone.

After having left the shack for a bit the clouds began to disrupt the moon light. That was when I headed back I couldn't let anyone see me transform back and forth. It was too much of a risk even if everyone was back at Hogwarts. The moment we made it inside I could feel myself begin to morph back I knew it wouldn't last long.

I could smell something like a person. I just hoped that it wasn't otherwise things could get dangerous. I could hear James call out to whoever was nearby. I would have probably been more worried if I wasn't so focused by the pain that was going through my entire body. It felt like my bones were breaking down to go back to their original form. If this kept going I don't know how long I would be able to last.

"Emily?" The moment James said her name I snapped in the direction of the closet. It couldn't be, not her anybody but her. If this was some sick joke that Prongs and Padfoot came up with I will never forgive them. Unfortunately it was her I could see her there standing with her arms wrapped around herself. What hurt the most was seeing the tears in her eyes. This was why I never wanted her to see.

I knew that this would happen. I had hoped that things would be different but they weren't. She was now afraid of me. She had every right to be after all I'm the monster. I had never wanted her to find out this way. I hated this I hated how things had become. I hated how I couldn't be like everyone else. Why did this have to happen to me? I hate what I am.

I could feel the anger consume me. I wanted to save her from feeling sorry for me. I wanted her to realize that she had every right to fear me.

"What are you doing here?" I was angry at myself. I was angry that everything was about to be taken away from me. I didn't miss how she flinched at my question.

"I'm sorry." I could see her tears. I didn't want to hear it. I had heard it from my parents. I didn't want anyone else's sympathy. "I just wanted to see…I-." I had heard enough. I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't take it. Having her look sad and scared because of me it hurt.

"Well now you know. Are you happy now?" My voice had come out angry but the anger wasn't directed at her. I could never be angry at her it was me who I was angry at. "This is what I am a monster. I'm not like you I could never be like you." I could see her body begin to tremble as more tears came out.

I could also feel myself begin to morph back I couldn't let her stay. If she stayed she would be in danger. This was why I shouldn't have ever been with her to begin with. I knew this would happen. She needed to leave because if she didn't I don't think I would be able to control myself.

"Remus I-."

"Get out!"

"But I-."

"I said get out!" I didn't see her leave but I heard her retreating footsteps. I know that she would hate me but it was for the best. She deserved better at this point it didn't even matter to me that she could expose my secret. I didn't have time to think about it. The pain was coming again but it didn't compare to what it felt like when I saw the way she looked at me.

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Emily's POV

I couldn't stop the tears from falling. This was all my fault if I hadn't been nosing around this would have never happened.

"I'm sorry," I continued to sob. It didn't matter who say me. Nothing mattered now.

"I'm so sorry."

"This is all my fault."

(whimpers)

"Why? Why did I do that?"

…

…..

….

Ps: Okay sorry I'm ending the chapter here but um…nope I thought I had a reason but nope I got nothing. Anyways I hope all of you liked the chapter. I'll know if you review. I think I worked on this for like four days straight. I have like 20 rough drafts. This was the best of all my drafts I hope all of you liked it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 15**

**Sorry it took so long to update. There were issues I needed to deal with but I promise the next chapter shall be up no later than three days. Anyways I hope you all like this chapter by the way I absolutely love all of your reviews.**

**Special thanks to the following…**

**DaRk-AnGeL2596**

**Weirdgirlwithwings**

**Charlie300895**

**Blueskies13**

**Apocolips**

**Insignificant Blimp - I still love the threats! awesomeness**

**Echo Uchiha**

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_Those who love with their whole heart are called fools. If that is true then I am one of the biggest fools._

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Remus's POV

It had been a week since the incident. I hadn't seen or heard of her since then. At first I thought that it would be easy to just go back to the way things were. It didn't take me long to realize that I was just fooling myself. I had gotten used to her and the way she was always able to make me forget...forget everything.

I tried to pretend like nothing had happened but the Marauders new better. The first day I thought that what had happened had only been a nightmare. I thought that if I could just wake myself up; that I would be able to see her smiling face again. That everything would be like it was before. I would go down to the Great Hall, like I would do every other morning. She would sit with us and she would end up fighting with James for the last piece of toast. Every time I woke up I realized that it had only been and will only be a dream. Only by turning back the clock could I change things.

I thought the best thing to do was to just forget. Forget about everything, every kiss, every touch and every smile. It didn't help that everywhere I went I would be reminded of her. Even my friends couldn't forget her. Every time James would yell out "mine," only to realize that Emily wasn't with us anymore. Then there is Sirius who was always used to caring around a first aid kit. She had made it a habit of tripping on everything that stood in her way even if it meant her own two feet.

It had only been a few days since I hadn't seen her but it didn't take long for the rumors to spread. It bothered me, how everyone was able to talk about things they didn't understand. Most of them had assumed she was the one that had done something wrong. The entire thing was frustrating. If only certain things hadn't happened, but it was too late to regret.

The more the days passed the more difficult it became for me to control myself. There were times I just wanted to find her. Even if she were to push me away to be able to hold her just once more it would be enough. Well that's what I kept telling myself but I knew it wouldn't be enough. Not when I already knew how it felt to have her with me.

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Emily's POV

I hadn't seen Remus for almost a week. The night of the incident I had gone back to the castle. I was glad that no one had seen me cry. Since then I had kept my distance from him. I was afraid to face him. I wanted the pain to stop.

I had avoided everyone even Lily. Snape was one of the first to notice my strange behavior.

"_Stop mopping, you look uglier when you mope." I had been crying at the back of the library when he snuck up on me. I quickly tried to wipe the tears away from my eyes. I didn't want anyone else to see me cry._

"_I'm not mopping and I don't want to talk about it so leave me alone."_

"_I don't remember asking. I don't care why you're crying. As a matter a fact I can bet you eighty gallons that you're crying over something stupid. It's probably something to do with stolen food or something idiotic like that."_

"_It's not stupid." The jerk all he was doing was getting me angry._

"_Anything dealing with you and your stomach is stupid."_

"_Just shut the hell up. Who the hell asked you anyways?"_

"_Well isn't someone being a little prat this morning."_

"_I'm sorry I just…Remus he…he," I could feel the tears start all over again. I was tired of crying I didn't want to cry anymore._

"_So that's it."_

"_What do you mean that's it? How can you even say that? You know what he means to me."_

"_I don't think he does." I was getting angry now. How could he just say it like that? Like if my love had just been a joke. There were a lot of things I could stand about Snape but this wasn't one of them. _

"_He does and you know he does." I was losing it my tears weren't stopping and my voice was getting louder._

"_No, I don't think he does. You want to know why? It's because if he meant so much to you then you wouldn't be here crying."_

"_Oh and what else am I supposed to do. He doesn't even want to see me."_

"_Look, if you love him then go knock some sense into him. The Emily I know would fight tooth and nail for the last bagel. So stop being an idiot and do something about it." I was just too shocked to say or move. Snape's right if I truly love him then I should do something about it but I'm a coward._

"_I…I can't." I couldn't…I can't face him, not now. I need some time…the wound is still fresh._

_

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Remus's POV

I saw her, she was with Snape. Their closeness had always bothered me. Even if he is a Slytherin it bothered me that he could give her what I couldn't. I say "couldn't" because it's too late to think about things that can't happen anymore.

At the moment the Marauders and I were heading towards the room of requirement.

"I see the rumors are true." We all turned surprised. We hadn't noticed that someone had followed us. I didn't want to have to deal with somebody like her. I had enough on my mind as it was.

"Bellatrix, is there a reason why you are stalking us." – Sirius

"It's only for entertainment purposes I assure you." – Bellatrix

"I didn't think people like you were capable of finding entertainment, that didn't involve hurting others." -Sirius

"You're one to talk you all may think you're better than me but you're not. You four are the same as me so if I were you I wouldn't be talking."

"We will never be like you. We would never stoop so low." - James

"So says the guy who has fun pulling pranks on others. Tell me Potter how many have you traumatized in your life time?" – Bellatrix

"We don't have to justify ourselves to someone like you." - Sirius

"Strong words for the guy that has the nick name heart breaker. Tell me do you enjoy watching them break down because I know I do. You little one, offer me some good amount of entertainment." – Bellatrix

Both James and Sirius had gone quiet. Any other time I would have walked away or at least jinxed her by now but things were different now. I was tired and I had enough of her and her nonsense.

"We don't have to listen to her crap. She can say all she wants I'm leaving you guys coming."

"Go ahead and run it doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to congratulate Remus for providing with the best amount of amusement yet." – Bellatrix

I had stopped for a second I knew it was best not to listen. She was only trying to mess with us and I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

"After all it's not every day I get to see the kind hearted Remus use someone and throw them away. To think that oblivious idiot could be so amusing, who would have thought. I almost laughed when I saw her crying-." –Bellatrix

"Shut up…don't talk about her like that."

"Aren't we a little touchy I thought animals couldn't feel." I flinched at her implication and she hadn't missed it. "Oh don't worry I wasn't the one who told her about your little secret. As a matter a fact I believe it was Lucious who offered to tell her." I had gone stiff, did she know before she saw. Was that the reason why she came looking for me? "I was just passing by when I heard them talking. Oh but her response is what almost made me laugh out loud. She said she trusted you. Hahaha, what a moron she kept saying how she wanted to hear it from you. Something about wanting to let you explain things. If I were her I would have just asked or left you." I hadn't moved from my spot. I could hear James and Sirius telling me to just leave but I couldn't nit yet. She could have found out but she didn't want to betray me. I have been such an idiot. She was willing to let me explain but I didn't even give her that chance.

"To think I was waiting for the moment where she dumps you. Only to find out that you're the one that dumped her. Hahaha you two were the most interesting to watch. I never thought you would have in you. If you were in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor we could have been good friends. Oh well." With that she left. Her words had irked me I had and would never use Emily.

"Look, forget what she said. She's mentally unstable you can't trust anything she says. Let's just go." – James

"No," I couldn't go not after hearing everything she said. I couldn't…wouldn't let things end this way. Sirius and everyone else were right. I needed to find her.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

I didn't bother responding I had to find her even if she didn't want to talk to me. I knew where she would be I just hoped she would be alone.

It didn't take me long to reach the Howler. Even when we were dating she liked to come up there to feed my owl. There were times when I found her talking to him. It surprised me when my owl seemed to understand her. She had even confessed to me that she had been feeding him before we started going out. She said she didn't know he was my owl. Since I kept leaving every month there were times I couldn't even feed my owl. I always assumed it caught its own food.

After finally reaching the top I looked in the direction I hoped she would be in. Sure enough I saw her there talking to him again. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the wet trails on her cheeks. She looked like she had been crying for quite a while. Even though I had come here to fix things I realized that I didn't know what to say. I hadn't thought about what to tell her but it seemed that I didn't have to worry about that. She had seen me and she was coming my way. I racked my brain trying to think of something to say.

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Emily's POV

I hadn't noticed him the moment he had come. For a moment I had hoped he had come looking for me but I quickly squashed those thoughts away. It was ridiculous for me to even think that. He had come to get his owl and that's it. When I saw him just standing there I figured he didn't want to approach me. I had hoped that I could avoid him for a while longer.

I figured I should probably leave before I make things more awkward than they have to be. He was standing in the door way. I made sure to keep my eyes focused on the door. I didn't want to look at him not now.

Just not yet…I don't think I'm strong enough.

I knew that if I looked I would crumble in front of him. Just when I was about to pass him he spoke.

"Emily…" I held my breath I could feel my heart constricting. It had been a while since I had heard his voice. "Emily I'm sorry." I was glad that my back was facing him instead I didn't want him to see me cry. I could feel my eyes begin to water. I stayed silent I just didn't trust my voice to speak. "Emily, please look at me." He sounded pained but I couldn't turn around. If I turned I would break.

"I can't…" it was true. I couldn't turn around if I did I would crumble. I feel him stand closer behind me it hurt to have him this close. "Please don't get any closer." If he were anyone else it would be easy for me to just run but this was Remus.

"Do you hate me?" I had expected almost anything not this. The question had thrown me off. I thought he only wanted to apologize for yelling at me. I had taken too long to respond so he took my silence as confirmation. "I deserve that I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll leave you alone." He had begun to walk away in the direction I had planned on leaving through. I didn't know what he was saying but I couldn't let him leave like that. Without thinking I ran after him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Please don't go. I'm sorry I promise to never be nosy again just please don't leave me…" I didn't want him to leave. It hurt me to see him walk away. I was crying fully now. I knew that he would see but I just didn't care anymore. "Please don't leave."

In one swift moment he had turned around and wrapped his arms around me. "Don't apologize you're not the one who did something wrong. This is all my fault I don't deserve you. Please forgive me for being a moron." My face was pressed against his chest. I just shook my head he was wrong I'm the one that doesn't deserve him.

"No, it's all my fault-."

"Emily look at me," I did as he asked and saw his brilliant blue eyes. I was right I would crumble. Whenever he looked at me with those eyes I would become mush. Even after all this time he still had that affect on me. "I'm the idiot not you. It's not your fault I wanted what was best for you. I just think you deserve better than me."

"No, you're wrong there is no one better than you. It hurt so much not being able to see you. I love you. Promise me that you won't leave." He kissed me softly on the lips before responding. I had missed his lips too much.

"I promise." This time I kissed him. His lips felt soft against mine. I had missed this too much. "I love you," he whispered into my ear.

The next couple of days I had spent them with Remus. After we had left Remus had made sure to stay close to me. I didn't mind in the slightest I had missed him too much. At the moment we were all in the room of requirement.

"Well now that you know I guess all that's left is to make you an honorary Marauder-?" Sirius

I wasn't sure what he was talking about but I was interested.

"No." – It was Remus, he was sitting next to me.

"Oh come on I think it'll be great. Besides I really want to find out what animal she turns into."

"No." – Remus

"Wait, are you talking about being an Animagus." - me

"Yup." - James

"No I meant it. It's too risky." - Remus

"Don't you think your exaggerating a tad bit?"

"You know how risky it is to do that-."

"Oh come on aren't you curious to find out what she turns into?"

"I don't-."

"Would you all like to see? If you wanted to know you all could have just asked." they all had stopped their separate conversations to look at me. I didn't understand what the big deal was.

"Wait a minute are you saying that you're-?"

"Here I'll show you." I turned into my respected animal. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was surprised either way.

"…haha look at her isn't she cute." –Sirius. How dare he didn't he realize I'm one of the most ferocious creatures.

"Actually I'm not surprised." – James

"She's a stuffed animal." – Peter. Personally I blame my form for my next actions. In a matter of seconds I had sprung on Peter. How dare he call me a stuffed animal.

"She's a baby bear." - James

"She's actually a cub." Remus

"Isn't that what James said?" –Sirius

"Yes and no." – Remus

I'm not sure how long I had stayed clawing at Peter eventually someone had carried me off. I would have fought them off if it hadn't been Remus who did it. After that I turned back while Peter continued to glare at me.

"I'm not a stuffed animal. I'm a ferocious bear *hmpf* jerk."

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Ps: Okay I'm leaving it here cuz its late and I'm exhausted. Please REVIEW!


	16. Chapter 16

Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 16

**First off I would like to say sorry for the last chapter. I know that it was short and stuff. Recently, I started school again and I'm taking some courses that take up a lot of time. One of the classes is four hours straight I mean who does that. Long story short I'm going to be really busy. I had thought about putting the story on hold but your lovely reviews have prevented me from doing so. Basically it's all thanks to all of you and your wonderful reviews. Anyways hopefully this chapter makes up for the last one. So enjoy!**

**Oh and special thanks to the following…**

**CCCookiexC3 – No worries but thanks for your continued support. I absolutely love your reviews.**

**Weirdgirlwithwings – I'm gald you liked the bear thing :)**

**Echo Uchiha – I am aware that it was short I'm really sorry about that. Its just a lot harder juggling everything plus I'm working now.**

**ShellyVengence - thanks for the reviews I give you three cream puffs :)**

**InsignificantBlimp **

"**I can just imagine Remus carrying off a small black cub like it was a cat or something" – I imagined this too. I thought it only made sense that I should make her into a little cute bear. **

"**don't stop writing or I'll let Crookshanks disect you alive" – can you believe I spent my week watching out if crookshanks was going to come out of the bushes. :)**

**Apocolips **

**Me too thank you for the review it means a lot.**

**BlueSkies13 – thanks for the review : ) you get three chocolate cookies**

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_"You can close your eyes to things that you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to things you don't want to feel." ~Anonymous_

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Emily's POV

"I just can't believe you never told us that you're an Animagus?" It was James, we were currently outside on the grounds. As you can guess I was the topic of the current conversation. I wanted to talk about what types of cakes are better but no.

"You guys never asked so I figured it wasn't important. Besides I never even wanted to be an Animagus." At the moment I was trying to see if I could win Sirius at chess. I'm not that good but neither is he.

"Then why did you do it and who taught you? You had to have had some help." James, it seemed like he had never heard of someone else do it. It's not that difficult if you have help.

"Check mate! No one taught me. It just happened."

"Buggers, Prongs you go next you're better at this than me."

"Wait what do you mean it just happened?" It was Remus, he surprised me. I thought he was going to the library to finish up a paper. I jumped up from my sitting position to greet him.

"This is all my fault I should have never given you the secret weapon?" We all turned in the direction of Sirius we had no clue as to what he was talking about.

"What in the blazes are you talking about Padfoot?"

"You know," when everyone continued to give him weird looks, he let out a sigh before continuing. "Remember I told him that he should just grab a girl and snog the crap out of her." I could only stare dumbly at Sirius. He had reminded of the day Remus had kissed me after we had just gotten into a fight. I could feel myself turn red up to the roots of my hair. Peter was the first to respond out of all of us.

"Wait, but that doesn't work when I try it."

"That's because you don't have the right charm for it."

"Oh and how would you know?" Remus smoothly replied with a small quirk of the lips. He was having fun with my current embarrassment I could see it in his blue eyes. I buried my head into his chest. How can he be saying all this out loud? I could feel the stares of everyone that had gathered around to hear the conversation.

"Are you saying that's not how it happened?" Sirius responded with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"I didn't say it did or it didn't. I am simply wondering how you came to that conclusion." I stared at him in shock. I couldn't believe it was Remus seriously joking around. I could hear the gasps of the audience. Everyone was just so used to quiet and calm Remus, so it came as a surprise that he was acting this way. I could see it on his face he was smiling. He was definitely enjoying the reaction he was getting from everyone else.

"It's me I have my own ways of finding out. That and I might have happened to come across a sleeping Emily. She kept mumbling in her sleep mainly about you." I felt my eyes go wide so I had said something. That jerk lied to me he said I didn't say I word that's it he's dead. My harms had found themselves around his neck while Peter tried prying me off.

"How dare you? You lied to me!"

"What? Oh and you snore by the way."

"Blasphemy!"

"*ahem*" I was afraid to turn around. In my mind I hoped that the person who was interrupting me from murdering Sirius wasn't who I thought it was.

"Ms. Thompson." Yup, there was no mistake the person behind me could only be one person. She scared me even more than Filch did. I slowly let go of Sirius and turned around to face the demons of all demons.

"Yes?" Professor Hetherhorn, the scariest and ugliest of all professors. She was in charge of the Divination department. She did not like me one bit just because I accidently dropped one of her glass balls. I said oops, it's not like I killed her cat besides I even offered to buy her a new one.

"What have I told you?" This was a trick question and she knew it. I was afraid to answer.

"No more sweets after two o'clock?"

"Come with me." I let my shoulders slump. Oh did I hate her if I ever learned how to use my wand properly she'll be the first one I jinx. "I want you to recite all twenty word for word."

"All twenty? But I-."

"I said recite, don't make me repeat myself."

"Hmpf *mumbles* witch"

"Rule 1: I shall not steal chocolate frogs from fellow classmates." I felt ridiculous the first rule didn't even make sense I didn't even know anyone who had chocolate frogs. "Is this really necessary?" she just gave me a look telling me to continue.

"Rule 2: I will not eat in class." Do you see what I mean what kind of horrible professor prevents students from eating.

"Rule 3: I may not drool when I see images of food in tea leaves." I only did that once you'd think she would let that one go but no.

"Rule 4: Under no circumstances am I allowed to dream or fantasize about Remus Lupin-. Hey! That's uncalled for this is a violation of-. Actually I don't know what it violates but its violating something."

SMACK

Stupid daily prophets, who the hell taught her how to hit.

"Finish." I could only glare at her.

"Rule 5: I shall not doodle Emily Lupin in my notebooks-. Wait! Who showed you my notes? It was Sirius wasn't it. I swear when I get my hands on him I'm gonna-."

SMACK

"You're not done."

"*glare* Rule 6: *glare* I shall not threaten fellow classmates-. But what if-." She pointed to the rest of the rule motioning for me to continue. "Even if said classmate is Sirius Black. *ultimate death glare*"

"Rule 7: um…crap I forgot-I mean no I didn't." She continued to threaten me with the accursed rolled up newspaper. "I get cookie…*smack*"

* * *

The rest of the year seemed pretty mellow aside from a couple of small things that happened. They were only minor things like me accidentally forgetting to close the leprechaun cages. It was actually entertaining to see the little guys running around causing mischief. They covered the halls with slimy goo causing everyone to slide in opposite directions. Eventually the students would just slide to class. I didn't mind it was faster that way.

Eventually the year came to an end and everyone was heading towards home. The marauders and I promised each other that we would meet up for the summer break. James said that we could all go camping together. I was excited and couldn't wait even though that was about a month away.

"So how was school? Anything interesting happened?" I wasn't sure if I should tell my aunt about Remus. In the end I decided against it.

"Yeah, a few things happened, what about you? Anything interesting happened to you and uncle?"

During are ride home my aunt ended up telling me that my uncle was off in Canada studying pixies. She was upset that he forgot about their anniversary. It was supposed to be tomorrow but he said he wasn't going to be back until next week.

"If he thinks he can sleep on the bed well he can just forget it. As a matter a fact the only place I'll let him sleep is on the porch. Oh by the way Ephraim just got back yesterday from his studies." I don't think my aunt realizes how much I despise him. Then again the way she shows my uncle affection is by hitting him.

One of my favorite stories is about how they met.

_Her uncle's POV_

_There I was minding my own business when I notice someone following me. I turn around and there she was she looked so cute with her little pigtails. I thought she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. So I called out to her, I figured she was probably just a little shy._

"_Hey! Do you want to play with me?" I was only five at the time and she was maybe three years old. Even from our distance I could see her blushing. She looked so innocent I fell in love with her then and there._

_She began to slowly make her way towards me. By the time she reached me she was the color of a tomato._

"_Why are you the color red?" At the time I just thought it was an innocent question to ask on my part. Now I know I should have just run the other way. Just because I was curious she decided to kick me really hard in the shins and runs away. I felt so many things at once._

_I was surprised, angry, hurt and impressed that such a little girl could kick so hard. When I told my mom she said that the girl was probably shy because she liked me._

_The next time I saw her she did the same thing. I eventually got fed up grabbed her by the arm and asked why she was being so mean._

_She said, "I like you," kicked me in the shins and ran away. This time around the feelings I felt were different. I was still surprised, angry and impressed. You could say our story was more of a hit and run._

_As a matter a fact even in our wedding before she said, "I do," she kicked me in the shins. I think my shins are made of steel. I don't think I feel my shin anymore._

* * *

Ephraim POV

_**One song about a girl**_

I was six when I met her. At the time just thought of her as any other girl, stupid and annoying. I just didn't know how right I would be. I knew her before she came through her aunt. That woman could talk endlessly without taking a single break. The moment she found out I was about Emily's age she began to talk to me about her.

Even at a young age I have been able to tell when an adult was planning something. So it wasn't a surprise that I figured out what her aunt wanted. I could tell right away, she wanted to get us together. I didn't even know the girl and her aunt was already trying to pin her on me.

Every day it would be something new she would talk about. Emily this, Emily that I was sick of it couldn't she just leave me alone. Then the day finally came when I would meet her. I figured the reason why her aunt wanted to pin her on me was because our family was rich.

_I had been in the backyard playing with a ball that I found in our basement. I saw her coming from across the yard I hoped she would just get the hint and leave me alone. _

"_Hi my name is Emily."I pretended to ignore her. I figured she would be smart and just leave me alone but when she wouldn't move I had no other choice but to answer._

"_So," maybe if I'm mean to her she'll go away._

"_You don't have to be mean about it. I was just wondering if we could play together." This girl was really dense couldn't she tell I wanted nothing to do with her. I figured I should just mess with her to teach her a lesson._

"_You want to play with me?" She began to nod vigorously. She really is an idiot. This girl looked like anybody could fool her._

"_Okay, we can play hide-and-seek. I'll count while you hide." She didn't even wait for me to pretend to count. I could already see her run off to go hide. What am I three I don't play hide-and seek. I figured that after twenty minutes, she would either come look for me or go home. When thirty minutes passed and she didn't come I figured she got the message. After an hour I headed inside to maybe do something. By the time it was dinner I had completely forgotten about her. I was surprised when someone came knocking on our door looking for me._

_When I saw that it was the same girl from earlier I couldn't even respond. I had expected her to be a bit gullible just not a complete idiot. I couldn't help my response when she accused me of lying._

"_You mean you were actually out there waiting, bloody hell. You really are a moron."I didn't wait for her response before closing the door in her face._

As time passed I became used to her. No matter what I would do she would always have that stupid goofy smile. I just didn't understand how she could be happy all the time. Even when people treated her badly she would still go out of her way to help.

_**Can't breathe when I'm around her **_

I didn't even realize until it was too late that I was falling for her. At first it seemed ridiculous when my brother brought it up. He had come home…

"_Hey little bro where's your little girlfriend."_

"_I don't have a girlfriend."_

"_Okay, well your soon to be girlfriend?"_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_That girl what's her name…Emily! That's the one."_

"_She's not my girlfriend besides I don't even like her."_

"_Yes you do."_

"_No I don't"_

"_Okay, then if you don't prove it. Don't bother her for one whole day, don't say a word don't even look at her."_

"_Fine, if I win I get to use your broomstick."_

"_Deal because it's not going to happen."_

I lost the bet I hadn't even realized that I had been so focused on her until my brother mentioned it.

She had started out as some annoying little girl that would bother me every day. Always wanting to know what I was doing, every day with the same smile no matter what. I had become used to her. In a way I had depended on her cheerful self to make me feel better. There were times I couldn't take all the pressure my parents were putting on me.

Sometimes the problems felt over whelming. She had become my sanctuary. I could always count on her to cheer me up even if she didn't know it.

_**I wait here everyday**_

_**In case she'll scratch the surface**_

_**She'll never notice**_

By the time she started school I had finally realized that I was in love with her. I had wanted to find a way to tell her and make her realize that we could be good together. I was shocked when I found out she liked someone. I figured they wouldn't be a big threat I mean she had barely met them. She knew me longer than anyone else. We had grown up together it was only logical that she would end up with me. Nobody told me that when it came to logic love logic becomes useless.

I had tried to tell her how I felt but I figured it would be better to tell her when she got over her crush. I told myself that in a few months she would forget him and that's when I would tell her.

When her aunt came to our house with the news that her niece had gotten a boyfriend, I felt like someone had socked me in the stomach.

_**I'm not in love**_

_**This is not my heart**_

_**I'm not gonna waste these words**_

I tried to forget her but every girl I meant made it impossible. Without realizing it I had begun to compare the girls I would meet with Emily. Most of the girls I would meet would be too superficial. It bothered me how in my school the girls were more focused on their looks then actually doing something. It was frustrating to think that even if Emily wouldn't be the smartest she would have at least tried.

She was the first girl to ever humiliate me. She had been the first girl to have the nerve to tell me not to complain even though she had cut a good chunk of my hair. As weird as it sounds those are some of the reasons I fell for her.

_**About a girl**_

I would tell myself that she was just like any other girl; that there was nothing special about her. She's not graceful, mature, smart, nice, beautiful and has no manners. What girl can eat as much as her? If it was up to her she could probably swallow a cow in one sitting.

At the same time I was angry. Wasn't she supposed to be with me? I just couldn't understand how I could have so many girls after me but the one I want. The one girl that can't notice anything even if it hit her in the face was the only one who doesn't like me.

_**Last night **_

_**I knew what to say **_

_**But you weren't there to hear it**_

_**These lines are well rehearsed, tongue tied **_

_**And over loaded **_

_**You'll never notice**_

All I knew the guy she chose better appreciate her or I'll take her away. I don't care how long it takes but I'll get her to notice me.

* * *

Remus's POV

It was almost time for us to meet. We were all going to go camping at a cabin lodge that belongs to the Potters. They had let us use it for the summer. The Marauders and I were the first ones to arrive. We had invited a lot of people. James's parents had even invited Lily. Lily and her friend are planning on coming until tomorrow. As for Emily and Tonks they were going to be arriving sometime next week.

"I say we should play quiditch?" – James

"I say we go to the nearest town and see if they have anything." – Sirius

"I'll be staying here." – Remus

"No you're not. You are coming with us. We'll go to town first then Quiditch." – Sirius

"Deal." – James

"Besides we should have a little fun before both of you leave me to go off with the girls." – Sirius

"I understand why you would say that about Moony but why me?" – James

"Lily is coming isn't she?" - Sirius

"She but what does-. How many times do I have to tell you that I do not like Evans." - James

"The moment you stop being in denial. Actually let's make a bet if you do get married to Evans I get to be Godfather." - Sirius

"Why do you want to be Godfather?" - James

"Who else is going to teach your son to be a man?" - Sirius

*throws shoe*

"You see you're throwing a woman fit."

*throws box*

"Maybe we should go?" – Peter

"Yeah I think it's safer if we let them be."

….

…

…..

Ps: Sorry it took so long the next part shall be posted on Sat. the latest mayber Sunday night. Again thank you all for your wonderful reviews.


	17. Chapter 17

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 17**

**Okay before all of you kill me I would just like to say that in my defense I uh…**

**(Runs to the nearest airport. "Hi, could I get the first plane ticket you have to Pluto. It's important." **

**Flight attendant - "Sorry, Miss but that flight doesn't exist." **

**Me: "Please check again my life is at stake here." **

**FA - "Um, miss." **

**Me: "Did you find it?"**

**FA: "I think that huge mob is here looking for you."**

**Me: "Crap,…I mean hi so back to the story :) " )**

**So um enjoy (please don't kill me)**

**

* * *

**

"_Have you ever had to fake a smile to hide what you felt? Did you feel like breaking down when you saw him with someone else? Do you hope and wish that one day he will turn around and notice you? If you have then you have felt it too. They call it one-sided love. I call it my first and only love."_

* * *

Normal POV

Everyone had arrived at the cabin. The first to arrive had been the Marauders, followed by Tonks and her best friend. It was until the end of the second day that everyone had shown up. They had all agreed on making a small fire in order to make smores.

"Everyone I have a great idea of what we can do to make Christmas more interesting?" – Sirius

"Oh and what's your bright idea?" – James

"Let's do a gift exchange." – Sirius

"You can't be serious?" – Lily

"Oh, but I am. Blame my parents they were the ones who named me." - Sirius

"You know that the festival is in two days right? I mean, how do you expect us to find a present at such short notice." – Lily

"That's what makes everything so much more interesting not to mention we can't use wands?" – Sirius.

"I'm in!" – Emily

"Sounds like fun why not." – Tonks

"I'm in I got nothing else." – James

"I'm in." – Peter

"Count me in." – Ana (Tonks's best friend)

"I don't see why not." – Remus

"So it's settled then." - Sirius

"Are you all seriously going to go through with this?"- Lily

"What? Scared Evans?" – James

"*scoffs* As if I was only-." – Lily

"Or is it that you can't handle the pressure?" - James

"You're on Potter. I can handle anything." - Lily

In the end everyone put their name into a hat and everyone got someone.

Lily got Sirius

James got Lily

Sirius got Emily

Tonks got Remus

Remus got Peter

Emily got James

Peter got Ana

Ana got Tonks

* * *

Ana's POV

I felt a bit weird meeting all these new people for the first time. It was weird because even though, I had never met them, I felt like I had known them all my life. I think it had a lot to do with what Tonks has been telling me.

I still remember how Tonks and I met on our first year at our all girls boarding school. It's strange how I know so much about them yet I know nothing. All of them are so unpredictable. The way she talked about the Marauders I assumed they were just a bunch of boys who liked to play pranks.

I have always hated the type who spent more time joking around than taking their studies seriously. Don't get me wrong I'm not those kinds of girls that only care about getting good grades. Personally I think grades are a bunch of bullocks. To judge how smart someone is through grades is ridiculous. I just can't stand the ones that can't even act mature to save their lives.

I shouldn't judge though I don't even know them that well. Still…I just can't help get irritated by them. I mean take the one with glasses. Oh, what was his name? Oh, that's right I think his name is…Jason, no that's not right. Um…It's James! That's it. Him, he is probably not as bad but still he could try being a little less arrogant. Not to mention the guy named Peter he's just a creep.

Out of all of them there is just one that I still can't get, Remus. Tonks's love interest, whenever she talked about him I just assumed she was exaggerating. I mean isn't that what most girls do when they talk about the guy they like. Saying how wonderful he is, yada, yada, while the listener is trying really hard not to gag. Only to find out he's really not that great and ugly. Then when you do meet him your friend asks, "Isn't he great!" While your mind is screaming, "Is she blind" and the words HELL NO ring in your head, but because she is your friend you respond with a quiet, "Yeah."

To be honest that's what I expected to happen when I was introduced to him.

_We had just arrived at a small Inn located in the village. Since the Potters had protective charms placed we weren't allowed to get through by floo powder. According to Tonks we had to wait for them to arrive with transportation. We had accidentally arrived ahead of schedule. At the moment we had to just wait it out until they arrived. While she continued to chat with the lady at the desk I decided to wander around the town. Besides we had to wait for an hour anyways, so I figured why not._

_My eyes looked around. I could see all kinds of shops. Full of all kinds of stuff but there was one store that caught my eye right away. It was Flourish n' Blots Book store. If there is one thing I can't resist it would be a book._

_I have always loved books. Books have and will always be my safe haven. Haven't you had one of those days that you wish you were somewhere else instead? I know, I have well to me books make it better. They let my mind forget all my troubles even if it's only for a moment._

_The moment I stepped into the book store I couldn't help but smile. I didn't waste any time in going towards the back. It's something that I used to do as a kid. You know you explore every inch of the library at random until you find that one book that catches your eye. My favorite place for finding books has always been the back. I don't know it just makes finding that book that much more interesting. Finding that one book no one notices. A book someone hasn't read for years, you find it and it leaves you speechless._

_I was skimming through the titles when my fingers found a medium sized book between two others. Slowly I took it out and flipped to the first page._

_I was completely captivated with the reading. It was in the perspective of a girl. The writing style was just so captivating it felt it was me who was feeling every emotion instead of the character. I felt the desperation she felt the need to make her dad notice her. The need for some sort of recognition by the person she loves most in the world. I felt her desperation as everything she did was never good enough. How she would fake a smile for his sake._

"_It's an interesting book isn't it?" I jumped, I hadn't realized even realized that there was someone else in the aisle with me._

"_I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I just couldn't help noticing the book you were reading." I had turned around to face the person who had scared me. I was instantly captivated by his charming smile and blue eyes. For a moment I forgot that I hadn't said a word._

"_Sorry, I didn't know you were there. By the way how long have you been there." He gave me another charming smile. I could have sworn I felt my legs turn to jelly. Begrudgingly I had to admit that he had looks and a mysterious charm to him. That didn't mean I would fall for him since I was already in love with someone else. Still as a girl it was difficult not to notice certain things._

"_For a while actually, you seemed to be completely entranced with the books. I didn't want to ruin it for you. Although I was quite surprised that out of all the books you picked that one. Most people tend to pass by that book not even bothering to give it a second chance."_

"_I take it you've read it before."_

"_Only a few times, you know that it's based on a true story. The book comes in two parts. The mind of the author is quite intriguing. Out of all her works my favorite has always been that one."_

"_I haven't read any of her other works so I can't say as much but I do like this one. Although it's quite sad I suspect it just gets worse for her."_

"_Would you like me to ruin it or would you prefer to find out for yourself."_

"_In that case I think I want to find out on my own." At that moment my eyes travelled to my watch. I hadn't realized how much time had passed. "I have to go it was nice meeting you."_

"_Same here."_

_I practically ran out of the store. I didn't even realize that I hadn't even figured out his name until I was already at the Inn._

"_There you are. I was wondering where you went. Well they should be arriving soon. Speaking of them they're here." – Tonks_

_The moment I turned around I was left speechless. There in front of me were four guys. Their presence wasn't what shocked me but the familiar face of the guy I met only moments ago. I just couldn't believe it._

"_I see you bought the book."- Remus_

_Everyone had turned from the guy to me._

"_Did you two meet already?" – Tonks_

_I couldn't trust myself to answer but lucky for me he decided to answer._

"_We met at the book store. So that must mean you're Ana, Tonks's best friend. It's a pleasure to meet you my name is Remus Lupin."_

_I was left speechless yet again. I just couldn't believe it this is Remus. There was something seriously wrong the guy was supposed to be the jack-ass that broke my best friend's heart. This can't be right. This has to be some kind of a joke._

_

* * *

_

I had promised myself that I would find out his flaw. He just couldn't be this perfect. He was nice, caring, intellectual, charming and good-looking. I was supposed to hate him for hurting Tonks. I wanted to find what was wrong with him to prove to Tonks that she deserved better.

Since I couldn't find anything I chose to direct my anger at his girlfriend. If it wasn't for her he would be with Tonks. I don't care how nice she is nobody deserves to be happy more than Tonks. I'm just saying that as her friend. It's a known fact that out of most people Tonks is the most giving person. Even as a kid she was always doing things for others. She is always taking care of everyone else not caring about herself. I was tired of seeing her suffer. She didn't deserve this.

"Tonks, can we talk for a second?" Everyone had gone off somewhere it was just Tonks and me that were left.

"Sure, shoot."

"Not here let's go to our room. I don't want anyone to overhear."

"Okay, sure."

It didn't take long for us to reach the room.

"I want you to stop." – Ana

"Stop what? What are you talking about Ana?" I couldn't take it. She did it again giving off that stupid fake smile. It was difficult not to notice how she forced herself.

"Just because you can fool everyone else doesn't mean that you can fool me." It was harsh but I couldn't just stand and watch anymore.

"What-?"

"Stop pretending. Stop with the fake smiles. I don't understand why you are doing this to yourself. Just tell him how you feel."

She dropped the smile but she still had her guard up. I could see her eyes turn cold. This was how she really felt.

"I don't know what you are talking about?"

"Yes you do. Just admit it you're in love with him. I can see it in the way you look at him even the way you talk about it him. Only an idiot wouldn't notice you love Remus-."

"Stop, okay just stop."

"No, I'm not going to stop."

"What then do you want me to admit how I feel about him what then. Just leave me be, I'm happy the way things are, so just leave it."

"No, you are not happy and we both know that. I don't understand why you don't just tell him."

"Oh and what's that going to do. Besides Emily is great she's perfect for him. Look its fine stop making a big deal out of nothing."

"You've got to be kidding me. She doesn't deserve him. It should be you at his side not her. You met him first not her. You loved him before she did. You accepted him for what he is before she did. It should be you not her and your heart knows that."

"Please just stop." I could see the tears begin to drip down her cheek.

"Tonks…I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy. You've been in love with him since you were kids. Are you seriously going to just stand by and watch as he becomes happy with someone that isn't you? Look I'm your best friend for a reason."

"You're right you are my best friend and as a best friend you should respect my decision. If he is happy with her then I am happy for him. All I want is for him to be happy even if it's not with me. Even if it means that I have to fake a smile in front of him."

"…"

"Look I can't hate him even if I wanted to it's not his fault I fell in love. So please let's drop the subject and enjoy our time."

She left before I could respond.

"You're brave Tonks. If it was me I would have broken a long time ago. Instead you break into smaller pieces. I wonder how long you will last."

* * *

Rewind Sirius's POV

"Okay… you want to sneak into the girl's room…why?" – Sirius

"You know I should be the one asking why YOU are hesitating to go into a GIRL'S room." – James

"You're right let's get Moony." – Sirius

"What about Wormtail?"- James

"He's off somewhere I think he said he needed to do something." – Sirius

"Why are we sneaking into the girl's room?" – Remus

"Look we aren't sneaking we are just going to do a bit of research." - Sirius

"We are tiptoeing across the hall under James's invisibility cloak." – Remus

"So what if we are sneaking around. Does it matter why?" – Sirius

"Yes it does." – Remus

"In that case ask Prongs he's the one that wants to go in." – Sirius

"Look Moony I got Lily for the gift exchange. All I want to do is get some clue as to what she likes. Unless you would rather I give her a stink bomb." – James

"…" - Remus

"Look everyone left or is downstairs. We'll be gone before they notice." - James

"Okay but let's make it quick." – Remus

We had gone in. We were only there for a few minutes when we heard the door begin to open.

"Quick hide." – Sirius

It was only Tonks with her friend if it had been Evans we would have been goners. We couldn't move. If we did they would see us and I would get a good yelling. You did not want to get on Tonks bad side.

"*Whispers* We should leave." – Remus

"*Whispers* we can't leave we're stuck okay Moony. Now everyone shush I want to hear the good stuff. Maybe they'll say how they can't resist me and want to have their dirty way with me."

Smack

"*Whispers* oww."

"I want you to stop." – Ana

Oh look they're fighting for me already. See I knew they couldn't get enough of me.

"Stop what? What are you talking about Ana?" – Tonks

Oh look Tonks pretending to be oblivious. Although I find it kind of weird considering that I thought she liked Moony not me.

"Just because you can fool everyone else doesn't mean that you can fool me." – Ana

That's harsh.

"What-?" - Tonks

"Stop pretending. Stop with the fake smiles. I don't understand why you are doing this to yourself. Just tell him how you feel." – Ana

Okay I'm confused she wants Tonks to go with me. I don't mind I just preferred both.

"I don't know what you are talking about?" - Tonks

"Yes you do. Just admit it you're in love with him. I can see it in the way you look at him even the way you talk about it him. Only an idiot wouldn't notice you love Remus-." - Ana

Okay I was not expecting that. I turned towards Moony. I could see Prongs doing the same. He looked just shocked I guess he wasn't as smart as we thought.

"Stop, okay just stop." - Tonks

"No, I'm not going to stop." - Ana

"What then do you want me to admit how I feel about him what then. Just leave me be, I'm happy the way things are, so just leave it." - Tonks

"No, you are not happy and we both know that. I don't understand why you don't just tell him." - Ana

"Oh and what's that going to do. Besides Emily is great she's perfect for him. Look its fine stop making a big deal out of nothing." Tonks

Really there were no words to describe what was going on in that moment. I felt like I was invading a personal moment, it didn't feel right.

"You've got to be kidding me. She doesn't deserve him. It should be you at his side not her. You met him first not her. You loved him before she did. You accepted him for what he is before she did. It should be you not her and your heart knows that." - Ana

"Please just stop." – Tonks

I couldn't keep watching it wasn't right. I had never seen Tonks cry before even when she would break bones. She had always been the toughest out of all of us.

"Tonks…I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy. You've been in love with him since you were kids. Are you seriously going to just stand by and watch as he becomes happy with someone that isn't you? Look I'm your best friend for a reason." - Ana

"You're right you are my best friend and as a best friend you should respect my decision. If he is happy with her then I am happy for him. All I want is for him to be happy even if it's not with me. Even if it means that I have to fake a smile in front of him." - Tonks

"…" - Ana

"Look I can't hate him even if I wanted to it's not his fault I fell in love. So please let's drop the subject and enjoy our time." - Tonks

I could only watch as Tonks left the room. We should have never come into this room.

"You're brave Tonks. If it was me I would have broken a long time ago. Instead you break into smaller pieces. I wonder how long you'll last." - Ana

We stayed quiet until both of them left. We stayed quiet even after they left. We weren't sure what to say but there was something I needed to know.

"Moony what are you planning to do?" – Padfoot

He knew what I was asking. I wanted to know who he would choose. Would he change his mind, even though I shouldn't think that way I hoped he didn't.

"…There's nothing I can do. I'm with Emily." – Remus

He didn't give further explanation but it was enough. He was right if he didn't know she felt that way then he never considered her that way. I was both happy and depressed. I loved Tonks as a little sister. Who didn't love Tonks but Emily was meant to be with Remus not Tonks.

"We better get out of here." – James

"Prongs is right we better go." – Padfoot.

…

…

…

Ps: Sorry I'm leaving it here but um…(me: Are you sure you don't have a flight that goes to Pluto?

Flight attendant: No, for the hundredth time Miss.

Me: okay you don't have to be mean about it.)

* * *

**How about a sneak preview of the next chapter?**

_**Emily's POV**_

"_**Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. As all of you might have heard by now there is an important event coming up. I am sure that a lot of you will be happy to know that our school will be participating in the event…"**_

_**The joy and excitement of student could be heard throughout the entire hall. I was curious of what event they were talking about I hadn't heard of anything.**_

"_**I can't believe it finally its here." - James**_

"_**Calm down James. You aren't planning on Joining are you?" – Remus**_

"_**Of course I am. What about you, Padfoot, you joining?" – James**_

"_**Nah too much attention. Besides I know I'm great I don't need a trophy to tell me that." – Sirius**_

"_**What are you guys talking about?" – Me**_

"_**You can't be serious. You mean you haven't heard?" – James**_

"_**No…?" – me**_

_**Xx**_

_**Xxx**_

_**Xxxxx**_

"_**Welcome to the Triwizarding Tournament!" **_

Please Review!


	18. Chapter 18

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 18**

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**Okay, how should I say this without getting killed? Well you see, I uh…**

Is it just me or is there killing intent coming from the audience. Hmm…so um I'm just going to make a quick call.

Peep-peep-peep… "This is 911, what's the situation?"

Me: "Hi I was wondering… if there was any way to… I don't know… prevent a crowd from killing me?"

Cp: "Are you being attacked at the moment?"

Me: "no, but um…I'm pretty sure it will happen in the future. I'm about 99.9 percent positive I will be murdered soon."

Cp: "Okay, well since they haven't committed a crime, the best thing we can do at the moment is for you to file for a restraining order."

Me: "Okay, great and how does that work? Do I get like a group of cops to guard me?"

Cp: "Uh, no you get a document saying that they are not allowed within a few yards of you."

Me: "And at least two cops right."

Cp: "No, just the document."

Me: "I see so if they decide to come at me with a gun or a knife I throw them the piece a paper. No wait let me guess I show it off and say back demon back."

Cp: "No, if they violate the restraining order then you call us."

Me: "I see…can you hold on a sec." Puts down the phone and turns towards the audience.

Me: So are you planning on killing me quickly.

Crowd: *shrugs*

Me: Good enough. (Picks up the phone) "About that restraining order um I decided that I don't need it. I think I just want to get it over with. At least I'll die with my dignity."

Okay, the real reason why I'm submitting something now is that someone by the name of Apocolips said to "UPDATE NOW" so yeah…

**I also forgot to thank Echo Uchiha, Moonlight Calls (thanks 4 all ur awesome reviews), Paramore1351, The moon and Shooting Stars****, Marionettexoxo****, Blue Skies 13, Insignificant Blimp****, FleurSuoh, Aligiah, weirdgirlwithwings, blueskies13, Butterball crazy, stay awake with me, CCCookiexc3, etc.**

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To the heart and mind,

Ignorance is kind

There's no comfort in the truth,

Pain is all you'll find.

- Careless whisper

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James's POV

The excitement was coursing through my veins. It was getting excruciatingly difficult to stay in one spot, for longer than a minute. I just couldn't believe it. This was even more exciting than playing Quiditch.

"Prongs would you stop moving around, you're giving me a headache." – Padfoot

"What's wrong James?" – Emily

"Don't worry about him he's just excited that's all." – Moony

I can't stand still not when it's finally here.

"Bloody hell Prongs! You stand up one more time and I'm going to put my foot in your ars-!" Padfoot

"Padfoot calm down besides we both knew this day would come." – Moony

"Does anyone know why Dumbledore asked us to come to the Great Hall?" – Wormtail

"Please tell me you're bloody hell joking!" I couldn't believe it. Was this entire castle going bonkers this was going to be the most spectacular event that could ever happen. While my friends just sit there like if it was nothing.

"Silence!" A booming voice bounced off the walls creating echoes causing everything to go silent. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of a floating clock ticking away.

"Thank you, Professor Hetherhorn but I don't think that will be necessary." Hetherhorn nearly fell down off her chair from the shock of hearing the headmaster's voice. She hadn't noticed that he had arrived only a few seconds after she had.

One of the students sitting in the hall nearly jumped out of their seat. "Headmaster, are the rumors true!"

The headmaster held up his hand. "Settle down Mr. Wilson. All your questions will be answered in a moment but first I would like all you to welcome a special guest. Drusilla Gildomore." A tall woman emerged from the side doors. She was dressed in a long ivory cloak and long black hair.

She stepped forward; with every step she took the sound could be heard all over the great hall. Nobody knew what to think. I could barley hold my excitement. This was going to be the first time I got to see the proctor. My father had told me that she had been the proctor for about five centuries. If you asked me she didn't look that old.

"Long before when the lands were divided and wizards fought amongst themselves, war became the only way to live. That was until four great wizards decided to hold a tournament to represent their battle. This tournament would allow for peace to exist. The tournament was to take the champion of every kingdom and to pit them against one another. In order to test who deserved the true title of champion they had to first prove themselves. The four kings came up with tasks that would test these champions on different levels. As time has passed this tournament has stayed as a symbolic tradition in which wizarding schools come together thus the Triwizarding Tournament came into existence."

I could only imagine what everyone else was thinking.

"I have come here to cordially invite Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry to the Triwizarding Tournament." At the end of her speech she disappeared leaving behind only a scroll. There was an uproar of excitement coming from everyone. Everyone started to talk about the tournament. Everything went silent again when the Headmaster began to speak.

"As you all just heard we have been asked to attend the wizarding tournament. Only those of certain age can attend that is why only those of 6th and 7th year will be allowed to attend. The tournament shall take place in the Netherlands. Those who wish to attend will be asked to send a letter home to inform your family. As for those who wish to participate in the tournament you will get that chance once we arrive."

…

….

It didn't take long for everyone to pack. We were told that the tournament would be held in a school located in the Netherlands, wherever that was.

We were all traveling there by train. At the moment we were discussing Padfoot's current predicament.

"Okay, guys I'm back." – me

"Excuse me I do believe you also forgot ladies. I mean, there are two women here you know." This came from the blond chick sitting next to Padfoot. Now before you jump to conclusions she's not here because he wants her to be here. She happens to actually be his fiancé. No, he didn't propose so some random girl and no she didn't cast a spell on him. If it's still confusing then let me back track a bit so you can get the whole gist of the story.

_Well let's see I think it began about a month into the new school year. We were in the great hall Sirius was busy playing chess against Wormtail, Emily and Remus were snogging. I was uh…it's not important (author: *cough* arguing with Lily *cough*). What is important is what actually happened in the next few minutes._

_The first thing I noticed was the lack of noise around the great hall. A good number had gotten quiet while the rest began to whisper amongst themselves. A small person in a long robe made their way silently across the great hall. Now, I know your probably thinking so what? The thing was is that there were four large men escorting this person. When the person finally reached the headmaster all the heads had turned in their direction desperately trying to see who it might be. I on the other hand kept my cool the entire time (author: right…)._

_The headmaster stood and clapped his hands once making everything go silent. "Everyone we have a new student who has transferred into our school. I would like all of you to welcome her and make her feel at home. Young lady would you like to introduce yourself." The girl gave a small curt nod before stepping foreword and removing her hood._

"_Hello, my name is Elizabeth Coffman." She smiled before taking a small bow. She looked small and slender with long blond hair and bright blue eyes._

_The only thing that could be heard besides the sudden intake of breath from the majority of the male population was a loud thump. I turned down to see that Padfoot had fallen out of his seat. The first thing I thought was here we go again another one of Padfoot's conquest but it wasnt until I heard Padfoot's next words._

"_What in the blazes are you doing here!"He was pointing and glaring at her with such surprise and shock it made me want to laugh my ass off._

"_Now Sirius what have I said about pointing at people and yelling across a room."Her sweet smile had turned into and even sweeter smile than had sent shivers down my spine. There is one thing worse than a death eater's kiss and that was a woman's wrath. I learned that from my dad one day while we were hiding in the basement after we had destroyed mom's favorite china set. Apparently no one told Padfoot._

"_You better leave before I make you." At this point he had taken out his wand and had it pointed directly at her but before any of the teachers could do anything she spoke._

"_Expelliarmus." In a flash his wand had travelled across the room and delicately into her hands. With slow long strides she made her way towards him only to stop three feet away. Again that sweet smile appeared on her face._

"_Now Sirius is that anyway to talk to your fiancé?" I stared at them with an open mouth. I wasn't sure if I had heard right or I needed to desperately get my ears examined._

"_Stop spouting nonsense. I'm going to say it ONE last time. I will NOT marry you! There is NO way in HELL I'll marry a spoiled little brat. I would rather spend the rest of my life in Azkaban!"_

_Nonchalantly she stepped forward and placed her wand in his hand before speaking. "If that's how you feel then I guess I have no choice."_

…

…

…

_There is a reason why I skipped that part I figured you didn't want to know the gruesome details. Long story short she ended up staying. She was sorted into Slytherin and is now an unofficial member of our group. The moment we managed to get away from her we proceeded to bombard Padfoot with never ending questions. I was upset but mainly curios of the situation. I was angry because I figured being his best friend and all I figured he would tell me. I was curious because I just couldn't understand why Sirius hated her so much. I mean sure she was a bit demanding but I still preferred her over other Slytherins._

_Sirius went on to explain that before he had been kicked out of the house his mom had signed a contract with the Coffman family. Basically it stated that Sirius Black would marry Elizabeth Coffman in order to keep the pure blood of the Black family alive. When he had been kicked out of the house he had been ecstatic he had assumed that the contract would be dissolved. The problem is that with contracts such as wizarding contracts that involved a marriage between two powerful families, ending them became a bit of an issue. You see to end a contract between two people like Elizabeth and Padfoot it would take both sides to agree. In other words as long as she is still willing to get married, Padfoot has no choice._

_This brings me to the next point which is Padfoot's constant nagging. It's always, "you have to help me Prongs that woman is mad", or "Prongs if you don't stop laughing I'm going to shove this spoon so far up your-," only to get interrupted by her. Although I would love to help a friend in need I think in this type of situation it is best to watch from the sidelines._

…

…_._

Back to the train we were all currently sitting down watching the drama unfold between these two.

"I refuse to marry a man who doesn't even know the meaning of proper etiquette." I could practically see his veins popping one by one as each word she said.

"Gee, how rude of me I almost forgot that you existed and here I thought I was just going mad." She raised a delicate eyebrow in response.

"You shouldn't do that." He took a double take before glaring.

"Do what exactly?" his tone seemed menacing but it didn't seem to bother her one bit.

"That (she pointed), when you scrunch up your face, if you keep that up you'll end up with more wrinkles." I didn't miss the way she emphasized the word more. If there was one thing that Padfoot was self-conscience about it would be wrinkles. His face had morphed from an angry scowl into one of pure horror. He practically pushed Wormtail out of the way in order to get to the nearest mirror. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her smug satisfaction of getting under Padfoot's skin.

Throughout this entire interaction both Remus and I had stayed silent. I wasn't sure what to say whether congratulations or don't drag me into this.

"They look so cute together." - Emily

We all had turned towards the person who had said such a ridiculous thing and I mean everyone including Elizabeth. We looked at her like she said the weirdest thing on the planet.

"What?" Before I could open my mouth to explain, why what she said was so wrong, I got cut off by Elizabeth herself.

"That would be true if he learned how to act his age. You know he was much sweeter when he was younger." In that moment Padfoot had come back, he did not look happy.

"What in the blazes are you up to now woman!" She gave him a glare in return.

"I have a name you know. Besides I'm not doing anything I'm simply recalling childhood memories of you on your first broom. As a matter a fact I do believe I have a picture somewhere-." Once again an argument began between the two of them. To be honest they sounded like an old married couple. I turned to Moony to tell him what I thought.

"They argue like any old married couple." I whispered to Moony. Moony looked like he was about to say something but changed his mind but before I could ask him what it was Wormtail spoke.

"They kind of remind me of you and Lily. You two act the same exact way." I wasn't sure how to react. I was both mortified and embarrassed.

"You don't actually think that Evans and I are…like them (waved in their general direction) do you?" My question had been directed at Remus who seemed very intent on the landscape outside. He opened his mouth a few times but then closed it. Like he was afraid to say what was on his mind.

"No, I think you two are worse." Leave it to Wormtail to make me feel more uncomfortable then I already was.

Over the summer I had, had too much time on my hands. Meaning there was enough time for me to think. My dad always said thinking led to more thinking which eventually leads to horrible revelations that you might not have been ready to process. I didn't know how right he was until I started to think. My thinking eventually led me to Evans (don't ask how? or why? I don't even know). The point I that it made me start thinking that I might not really hate her per say.

I mean at first I had begun to bug her because I thought she was cute. Then I realized she was a very uptight person who hated breaking rules. Our paths crossed and our arguments began. I eventually realized that I liked pushing her buttons. It was fun until she began prank-ing me back. My obvious response was to prank her back of course. I mean I couldn't let her ruin my reputation as king prankster, now could I? Of course not.

The rest of the train ride was spent in an awkward silence. Eventually we had arrived all of us were either cranky, annoyed, or just unhappy. Wormtail had become cranky with all the bickering, Sirius, Elizabeth and me had become annoyed for different reasons. Emily and Remus had just become unhappy. I think it was because I had accidently dropped the last cup cake on Remus's new book. I said I was sorry. You would think that those two would have found a better hobby by now.

We had arrived to a large clearing. It wasn't a surprise to find out that we were in fact not the first to arrive. We were greeted with the most unexpected display…

…

…

…

Ps: okay I'm sorry I'm leaving it here. I know its short but I promise that I will try to update as soon as possible.

Also Thanks again to Apocolips who apparently still had faith in me. I'm really sorry I've been behind in my updates.

Sorry

Perdon

Gomena-sai


	19. Chapter 19

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 19**

First off I'm really sorry about the last chapter. I know it was extremely short. I can only hope that this one will make up for it. I can't thank you all enough for the wonderful support.

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"_**Gold, acknowledgment, respect, glory, honor, fame…**_

_**All goals that challengers strive to obtain…but like everything in life there is a price.**_

_**What shall be the price… to your eternal grandeur?" – cloud9strife**_

_**...**_

_**...  
**_

_**

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**_

Remus's POV

The roaring of a crowd could be heard from miles away. The thundering of feet and shouts made the ground tremble. To my right Prongs could barely contain himself from running forward. Our headmaster walked ahead with long strides. Emily had a tight hold on my sleeve. I could tell she was both scared and curious by what awaited us. The sound had been coming from a small entrance within a mountain.

As we got closer I began to notice the bright light that seemed to be coming from the entrance. The moment we stepped through the arch we were blinded by a bright light and the uproar of the crowd. I held my hand over my eyes until my eyes managed to adjust to the light. My eyes swept over our surroundings. From our view we could see that we had entered into some type of arena like those during the roman times. It was a coliseum and we were the main event. The stands were filled with students. Their bright gold armors reflected the light of the sun.

I knew I wasn't the only one astounded by the display.

"WELCOME!" came the booming voice from up ahead. "Welcome to Jehanna, a school for the brave and the fearless. My name is Azriel, Headmaster of Jehanna's school of warriors. Please make yourselves at home."

"Thank you for the warm welcome. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts witch craft and wizardry and these are my students."

"Please come join us while we wait for the rest of the arrivals."

We were directed into another opening that led to some stairs. Once we reached the top, we were able see the man that had called down to us from up here. He was dressed in gold armor lined with red fabric. He looked like someone that had popped out of the history books.

They led us towards a row of seats. It was interesting to be found in this type of setting but nonetheless it was proving to be quite interesting.

Only five minutes passed before the ground began to tremble. I could see everyone rise from their seats to see what the commotion could possibly be. Suddenly the sound of galloping could be heard. Before anyone of us could get up to see there was a bang. It sounded like something large landed outside. Then a sound appeared, it sounded low and calming. Some how I recognized the sound but I couldn't put my finger on it. Just then the audience gasped and shouts were heard. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and was left speechless at what I saw.

A group of girls dressed in pale blue, silk robes were dancing and shooting their wands. The sparks that were thrown glittered throughout the stadium. The girls all twirled until the reached a straight line. Then in synchronization they all bowed in our direction.

"Greetings my name is Madam Olympe Maxine headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and these are my students."

"Welcome headmistress Maxine I trust you were able to find your way."

"But of course seeing as this wasn't the first time we received such a gracious invitation from you."

They soon joined the rest of the crowd in the stadium. I could tell that prongs just wanted to jump out of seat out of anticipation. Emily seemed just as excited but at least more composed. Padfoot on the other hand kept trying to flirt only to get smacked by Elizabeth. I chuckled at his disgruntled expression.

Before the crowd could settle down, again we were assaulted by the sound of trumpets. Ah the all boys school. That was one school I did know about. It had been the first school that had sought me out. They changed their mind when they found out about what happened. There was no point in looking back now. No, there was nothing that I would regret ever.

In moments the students of Durmstarng Institute stood straight and in formation. All dressed in red and brown furs and their headmaster Igor Karkaroff to the right. Prongs definitely admired them. Some of the greatest quiditch players came from that school. They joined the rest of the crowd as well. I was more interested in the other schools.

There wasn't much in the archives about the other schools. They were the type that liked to keep their secrets. There were only two schools left. This would be the first time any of us would get to see them.

A few minutes had passed before I heard chattering of teeth I turned to see Emily shaking. With one quick look I could see that she wasn't the only one that had become cold all of a sudden. I took of my cloak and wrapped it around her before bringing her closer. The cold didn't bother me. I hadn't even noticed that the temperature had dropped.

The crowd began to look around trying to find the source. It was a no brainer that this was being caused by magic. That's when I saw it the stadium had turned into flat icy surface.

"This is it. They're here." – Prongs

In front of our eyes the ground began to shape and form. Like plants sprouting from the ground, large ice sculptures began to form. Slowly the icy statues began to reveal women dressed in long white gowns with white hair. It was said to be a trait to those who attended the school. More statues began to sprout from the ground revealing men dressed in flashy blue armor and blue hair. Unlike the armor from Jehanna, their armor wasn't covered in battle scars. This armor seemed to be more of a symbol that a type of protection. The final sculpture came out revealing what seemed to be the headmistress of the school.

"Greetings my name is Atlanta, headmistress of Calypso the guardians of Altazar."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the illusive headmistress. I hope you find your stay pleasant."

"Thank you, Sir Azriel."

"Nonsense, Azriel will suffice. We are among friends after all Miss Atlanta."

"Then I must ask that you would treat me the same. It is only fair that we do so."

"Very well, please come join us shall you."

Before they could reach the stairs a large thunderstorm began to form. I looked around to see whether or not it should be something to be worried about. Just before I decided to take out my wand I saw some of the students from the warrior school smirking. I felt a little uneasy by their knowing smirks.

Just then the clash of lightning made my head turn towards the center of the arena. One moment everything was pitch black and in the next there was a large lightning bolt that hit the ground. As the light toned down I could see that the lighting had brought forth much more than electricity.

There in the center of the arena stood a small group of tall figures. It was the last school the so called Taranis the ancient race of wizards. The women all had long blond hair, all dressed in small tight black dresses lined by gold fabric. The men on the other hand all had dark black hair. Every single one was dressed in armor. Unlike the warrior school or the ice school, their armor looked more superior. It was that or their demeanor that made me believe that. Although I did have to admit that their black and gold armor did strike me as that of a more privileged school.

I hadn't noticed that I had lost myself in my own thoughts. Suddenly my contemplations were cut off by a single word. Rather a single name, a name that had slipped from between her lips.

"Ephraim…"

My body had become stiff. For the first time in my life I felt the unsettling feeling that landed in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't sure what it was but I did know it had something to do with him…

…

…

…

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Emily's POV

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It couldn't be, not here, not now. Whatever he was doing here it wasn't good.

"Ephraim…" I hadn't even realized that I had whispered his name; until I saw him direct his eyes towards me and smirk. I felt Remus tighten his grip on my hand. He was probably worried about the tournament. At the moment I felt like running. Whenever Ephraim gave his trade mark smirk it always meant bad news for me. I did not want to think about the fact that I was stuck in the same place as him until the end of the tournament.

I wasn't even paying attention to their announcement. I couldn't stop staring at him. I felt like a deer caught on headlights. He hadn't either, there was no denying that I was scared. I tried to turn away but found that I couldn't. Slowly I laid my hand on Remus's arm. He must have noticed my discomfort because he pulled my face into his chest. I couldn't help but let out a sigh out of relief.

"Seeing as everyone is gathered around. I think it would be best to proceed to the main event. Will everyone follow us into our great hall where we shall all feast to our hearts content."

We all moved into a large building that was located deeper into the mountain. Strangely enough the hall reminded me of a hall befitting a king. I had made sure to stay close to Remus. There was no way I would allow myself to be alone with that jerk. Who knows what he would do to me. No, the best thing to do was to stay as close to Remus as possible.

Once the feast was served, everyone managed to settle down into their own individual conversations. The tension had disappeared by a small amount but it was enough to get me to eat.

Clink Clink

"May I have your attention." Everyone went silent as we all turned in the direction of Azriel. "It is this year that we have been bestowed upon the honor of hosting the triwizarding tournament. It is because of this that I wish to make this stay the most memorable."

"As all of you know the tournament is not just some competition in which we pit our best warriors against one another. No, this is much more than some tournament it is the way we practice peace and union. It is a tradition that has been established by our forefathers. It is my greatest wish that our student will honor this tradition."

"May a champion rise above the rest and bring us peace." There was an uproar, as student applauded and shouted. Azriel held up a hand demanding silence once everyone settled down he continued.

"Now as for the rules they shall be as followed. Every school shall be permitted two challengers. They shall be chosen by an impartial selector…the Goblet of fire. Anyone who wishes to compete shall place their name in the goblet. If chosen one must remember that they stand alone. Once chosen there is no going back. The challengers will then be asked to complete a total four tasks. The champion will not only win themselves riches and fame but they shall also have the privilege of bringing forth glory to their respective school. Tomorrow you will have the chance to place your name in the goblet. In the mean time everyone will be given a day to rest and to think about whether or not to join. The choice is ultimately yours. I wish the best of luck to all of you. May the best wizard win!"

…

Honor

….

Fame

…

Who will step forth and be our champion?

Ps: okay I'm really sorry this is so short. I swear the next one will be twice as long. PLEASE REVIEW pretty please.


	20. Chapter 20

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 20**

As promised this one is twice as long. I'm actually a little excited since I've been waiting for this part. I already have the tasks all thought out. I also know who makes it through the tasks and so forth. I hope all of you enjoy it. I worked really hard to make these chapters the most interesting. Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews and for your continued support. Oh, and for those who like Ephraim, I would just like to say that it makes me happy to hear that. Ephraim had started as a minor character but he has grown on me over time. Anyways enjoy!

lil' ninj

: I always wondered the same thing. I've also heard the expression 'pretty please with a cherry on top' and i hate cherries. I also love her food issues. Whenever i pictured someone with Remus that wasn't Tonks i pictured her as childish with a few weird quirks here and there. Do not get me wrong i love Tonks. She is definitely one of the most awesome female characters of all time.

atsari

: you have no idea how happy it makes me feel that you like my story. I know i take a while to update and i'm really sorry about that.

Echo Uchiha

: THANKS a million for your continued support!

matt-hardy-lover-101

: I'm glad you like it i hope you like this chapter more than the last.

Thank you all for your continued support. :)

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…

_Have you ever been in love?_

_Horrible isn't it?_

_It makes you vulnerable._

_It opens up your chest and it opens up your heart._

_It means someone can break down your walls._

_Making it possible for someone to come in and break you._

_Neil Gaiman_

…

* * *

**_Ephraim and Emily_**

"_**You're immature," his words were directed towards her. They sounded more like an observation than an insult. Nonetheless she still felt insulted.**_

"…_**," she refused to give in to his little game. She knew where this was going and she didn't like how it usually ended. He was trying to get her into a verbal spat but she refused. She may not be as smart as him, but she wasn't going to prove that she was a moron, by opening her mouth.**_

"_**A moron," she could feel a vein begin to throb. "Too short, too average," it was getting quite difficult to ignore his insults. "Clumsy, accident prone," every word he said just made her angrier. "Foolish," that's it she snapped.**_

"_**Enough! Are you done? I know that already I don't need you of all people to point it out." Her cheeks were bright red. She was angry. Her hands were balled up into tight fists.**_

_**He on the other hand, didn't seem perturbed, in the slightest by her angry expression. On the contrary he was completely ignoring her outburst like she hadn't spoken. "Loud," brows furrowed he continued, "persistent, naïve."**_

_**She just couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and turned to face him. "Look I get, I'm not as smart or as pretty or as whatever else you might have to say but I'm fine with that. I don't care. I'm happy with who I am. I understand that you don't like me to the point that you hate me. I wanted to be your friend but I get it. You hate me and that's not going to change. Now, if you have nothing better to do than to insult me. I suggest you leave. Better yet I'll leave," with quick footsteps she stomped away in the direction of her house unaware of the pair of gray eyes that followed her.**_

"_**And slow. Foolish girl if I hated you I wouldn't bother speaking to you. You can't even tell the difference between someone who hates you and someone who can't stop thinking about you." His fists clenched at his sides. "Why? Of all the people in the world why did it have to be someone as naïve as you." In his mind a flash of her smiling face invaded his thoughts. He had grown tired of trying to rid himself of such images. In the end he had given into it. He had let his mind become corrupted by her in every sense. To think someone as great as him had been reduced to a love sick teen.**_

…

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Emily's POV

Her eyes darted from side to side in an attempt to capture the images in front of her. She was fascinated by what was going on around her. She had woken up to the sound of clashing metal.

_There were sounds that seemed to be coming from outside. As quickly as she could she got dressed and headed outside. She was more than just a little curious of the sounds. She was running so fast that she accidentally missed a step. On instinct her eyes closed preparing for the impact that would mostly likely hurt worse than a smack on the head. Instead of feeling the hard, cold stone steps, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist that prevented her from falling. She let out a small yelp in surprise before turning to her savior._

"_Thanks that was too close-." Her words died in her throat as her eyes landed on her savior. There standing like the world belonged to him stood the one person she had hoped to avoid at all cost._

"_You've always been quite clumsy. You should be more careful." He gave her his trade mark smirk before walking away. She stood there dumbfounded for who knows how long before shaking her head and continuing her decent down the stairs._

At remembering the small encounter the corner of her lips twisted into a deep frown. Before she could ponder on Ephraim's weird behavior any further, she decided to turn her attention to what had made her come out in the first place. There only a few feet away stood a boy and a girl facing each other. They stood there with swords drawn neither batting an eye. In the next moment they both lunged and the clashing of metal began. From an observer's perspective it looked to be an intricate dance between two warriors. Their style's seemed flawless, every movement flowed into another. The performance was nothing less than spectacular. Suddenly both swords hit the ground at the same time their bodies did. I'm not exactly sure what happened next but the next thing a saw was bright sparks coming from opposite directions. Wands flew in one direction and bodies in another. Before any of us could move the girl began to stir.

"You give up yet?" She had a smug smile on her face even though she looked like she was about to pass out.

"To a girl, never!" Her smirk was replaced by a scowl.

"You little-." She didn't get to finish her sentence before a loud ring interrupted her.

"Times up!" I looked up to see one of the other students from the warrior school come between them. "You both lose." It was then I noticed that every student from the warrior school had red hair. I wondered if it was natural or colored on as a type of uniform. I honestly hoped it wasn't the first because that would mean they choose their student by looks (specifically red hair). Shrugging my shoulders I turned away in search of Remus.

I had gone off in search of both Remus and where the breakfast was being held (author: *shakes head in disdain*/ Emily: What? Don't judge me. I haven't eaten anything. I'm starving/ author: *rolls eyes*). Right before turning the next corner I suddenly get pulled into a small bush but before I could yell a hand is placed over my mouth, muffling my scream.

"shhh." It didn't take me long before I realized that it was only Sirius. I let out a small breath out of relief.

"Why are we hiding," I whispered.

"Why else do you think? She wants me to wear matching rings with her." He gagged at the mere thought of wearing anything that would remotely connect them as a couple, in any way. I couldn't help it I laughed.

"Is there a reason why you two are hiding inside a bush?" We both jumped at our unexpected guest.

"How in the blazes did you find us Moony." I turned to see him casually leaning on a pillar, watching us with blue eyes filled with hidden amusement. My heart thumped at the sight of him. I could even feel my cheeks turn bright red as his smile turned into a playful one.

"I was simply walking along when I noticed two very familiar wizards trying to hide behind a small bush. You know you probably would have a better chance of trying to blend into the crowd. At least then you wouldn't be drawing so much attention to yourself."

I could see Sirius glare at Remus from the corner of my eyes. Before I could register my actions I jumped out of the bushes and straight in Remus's arms. He reacted immediately like he had been expecting it. He gave me a chaste kiss before turning back to Sirius.

"You know Padfoot she's just going to wait for you at the breakfast table. I wouldn't bother trying to hide besides I have a feeling you enjoy being controlled by her." I turned to see Sirius's horrified expression morph into one filled with mortification and indignation.

"I do not! Why in the love of Merlin, would _I_ enjoy being harassed by a conceited, spoiled little brat?"

"Because she's another version of you." It was James. I hadn't even noticed him until he had spoken.

"What was that Prongs!" - Sirius

"You heard me. Don't pretend like I'm crazy." - James

"Show me proof." – Sirius

I could see James rolling his eyes at Sirius's predictability.

"One: She thinks she is Merlin's gift to wizards, last week you said almost the exact same thing." - James

"Almost." – Sirius (the only difference was that he said _he_ was Merlin's gift to witches.)

"Two: She's stubborn and she won't admit she's wrong even though she knows she is. Much like someone I know." – James

"I'm never wrong." – Sirius

James snorted at his response but continued nonetheless.

"Three: She always takes everything without a care about anyone else. You do that every time we go to Honey Dukes."

"In my defense Emily does the same thing." He pointed an accusing finger at me which I promptly smacked away.

"Four: she's always got that air of superiority about her just like you." - James

"Those are unfounded besides I said show me not tell me!" – Sirius

"My point is you like her!"

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?" Sirius bellowed.

"There you are." I turned to find Elizabeth and in her small hands she held a small box. We all turned to where Sirius was only to find his place occupied by thin air. He was actually quite good at making his little disappearing act.

Soon everyone started to head towards the great hall. Eventually, it was just Remus and I. Just as we were about to head in the same direction as everyone else, our path was cut by the very person I hated most.

There standing there like he owned the place with his trade mark smirk was none other than the evil wizard himself, Ephraim. I could feel Remus become stiff at my side. His playful mood had been sucked right out of him. Deciding that someone needed to break the awkward silence I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Emily, I'm sure you must be starving by now. Why don't you head inside while I introduce myself to your _friend_ here?" Remus's hand tightened around mine at Ephraim's quite demand. I also didn't like how he said the word friend. Even though I never really introduced him to Remus, I would have thought he would have figured it out by now. Before I could open my mouth to object, my stomach made a large rumble that pierced the silence. I felt both betrayed and humiliated by my stomach. There was no doubt in my mind that my cheeks were bright red.

Next to me Remus relaxed a bit at my stomach's antics before lowering his head. He placed a small kiss on my cheek before telling me to go one ahead, "It's okay go on ahead I'll catch up in a bit." I was unsure of what to do. I didn't want to argue while Ephraim was there but at the same time I didn't want to leave him.

Very gently he removed my hand from his before pushing me in the direction of the hall. Before I could reach the door I was stopped by Ephraim, "it's nice to see you Emily." I wasn't sure why but his words scared me more than I would every let anyone know. I practically ran towards the double doors without looking back.

* * *

Remus's POV  
"Emily, I'm sure you must be starving by now. Why don't you head inside while I introduce myself to your _friend_ here?" My body became stiff at his words. It was hard not to notice the way he seemed to be comfortable speaking to her in such a familiar manner. I also didn't like his implication of me being just her friend. If there was one thing I could ever pride myself of it would be that I am in no way stupid. He and I both knew what he meant by his words. Even though I agreed with what he said. There was just no way, I would let him get the upper hand. Subconsciously I tightened my grip on her hand.

That was when her stomach rumbled and I was forced to remember that she did in fact need to eat (authors note: fat-ass lol). Reluctantly I relaxed my posture before placing a small kiss on her cheek. "It's okay go on ahead I'll catch up in a bit," I said.

It made me happy; to see that she was reluctant to leave my side. At the same time I knew it would be best that she wasn't here, to hear the unpleasant conversation; that was most likely to occur.

I almost lost it when I saw him holding her back. There was nothing more I wanted than to wipe that smirk right off his face. I couldn't hear what he said but that didn't mean it didn't irritate me. I tried to calm myself down by reminding myself that she is in love with me and nothing is going to change that. I saw him follow her with his gaze until she disappeared behind the wooden doors. It was difficult not saying anything. I was sure that he was just waiting for me to react. Right away I could tell that he was definitely someone I should be worried about.

Author's POV

Gray eyes turned lazily until facing a pair of blue eyes. Gray watched with a calculating gaze. None spoke for what seemed like hours when in actuality only a few minutes passed. The boy with gray eyes watched with amusement and interest.

While a pair of blue eyes stayed blank and calm. Remus was known for his patience. He wasn't considered intelligent for no nothing. He liked to assess the situation before acting unlike the other Marauders.

As for Ephraim he was simply waiting for the appropriate time. Unlike Remus he was brought up as a leader. **He **made the first move. He never waited for his opponent to get the upper hand but that didn't mean he was a fool either. He wasn't called a prodigy for nothing. He was known as being the best of everything and he never denied it. On the contrary he embraced and used his skills to obtain what he wanted. At the moment there was nothing more he wanted but Emily.

"You must be Remus Lupin." Gray eyes watched closely waiting for any sort of change.

Remus knew he was being watched. He also knew what he was trying to do; it was the first time someone was able to play mind games with him. It wasn't the thought of losing that scared him rather it was thought of who the prize might be that made him hesitant. He gave a small nod in response to his earlier question/statement.

"You're not as talkative as I thought you would be. Considering how incredibly social Emily is I would have thought-."

"Is there something you wanted to discuss?" Ephraim smirked at his sudden response. Remus on the other didn't even bat an eyelash before continuing. "If you don't; I would much prefer spending my time wit my **girlfriend**." Now it was Remus's turn to feel smug at getting a reaction from the other male. The moment the word girlfriend had left his lips the other male's smug look had been wiped clean off his face.

As quickly as his discomfort came it disappeared instead it was replaced with a look of absolute boredom.

"I guess you're not the type to beat around the bush are you?" Seeing no reaction from the younger guy he continued. "I'll only say this once." He made sure that he had his full attention before finishing. "She will become mine."

Remus turned his hands into tight fists. Blue eyes turned cold. If looks could kill Ephraim would have died a horrible death. "I don't think that's something you can decide for yourself." It was true as long as Emily wanted him he would make sure guys like him couldn't get any where near her. With that said he began to walk towards the hall with complete confidence. He wasn't even sure why he had wasted his time on this arrogant brat in the first place.

"You're right but that doesn't mean I can't win her over." That stopped him from walking any further. "Why don't we compete man to man?"

"I'm not interested in playing your little games. Emily is not some prize. I'm not going anywhere until she chooses differently. As long as she wants me there is nothing that can prevent me from staying by her side much less someone like you."

"Brave words from a werewolf." To say he was shocked by his words would be an understatement. "Relax I'm sure you've told Emily about your little problem. Even if you didn't I'm not the type to resort to such cheap tricks. Still I propose a challenge. If you think you deserve her then prove it. Try out for the Triwizarding Tournament."

* * *

…

_I have been issued a challenge._

…

_I shall win at all cost._

…

_Not for the sake of honor, nor my pride, but…for the one I love._

* * *

Emily's POV

"Today is the day we mark the beginning of one of the most spectacular events of history. Many brave wizards and witches shall rise but only a few shall be deemed worthy enough. The tasks shall not only challenge your strength and your intelligence but they shall also test your will. Only one of you shall have the honor of being named our champion. I present to you the Triwizarding Cup."

Everything went silent as everyone waited for the results. The cup had been left there since yesterday. I knew that James would definitely get picked he had been waiting for this moment for a while. There was a sudden burst of blue flames when a small ball of fire shot out. In large letters it spelled out the name, Raven in bold letters. There were cheers coming from the warrior school.

"Well done my boy. It's no surprise that one of my top students has been chosen." It was then I noticed that he was the boy from earlier that had been fighting with that girl. The boy rubbed the back of the head before lifting his chin in a proud manner. He then stood at the top of the steps waiting for the other challengers to be called.

It didn't take long before another flame shot out forming similar words. The fire spelled out Nichole, a girl with blond hair made her way up. Loud cheers came from the Taranis School the same school Ephraim belonged to. She walked to the top with grace. She too stood next to Raven awaiting the next contester. Soon a third flame shot forth creating the name, James. We all jumped up each giving James a pat on the back in congratulations. More names began getting called out soon there were only three names left to be announced.

So far…

Natalie and Heather from Beauxbators Academy of Magic – both girls

Rebecca from Calypso – girl

Alexis and Raven from Jehanna – girl and boy

Ian and Seth both from Durmstrang – both boys

Nichole from Taranis – girl

James from Hogwarts – guy (obviously)

There were three names yet to be called; one from Calypso, Taranis and Hogwarts. I knew there was no way it was going to be Peter or Remus. Peter would never put himself in that position and Remus was not the type to compete for something as ridiculous as this. There was a possibility it could be Sirius seeing as how Sirius tended to change his mind often.

Everyone held their breath in anticipation. Gasps were let out when another spark flew out forming the words Mathew. Cheers were heard from the Calypso school. It seemed like he would be competing along with his sister Rebecca. There were whistling being directed in the direction of both the male and female contestants. Another spark shot forth quickly spelling out the second name, Ephraim. He stood up slowly like he had been expecting for his name to be called forth. It was easy to see that most of the females in the room found him attractive. There was doubt that he was definitely a favorite to win the trophy.

I was more interested in the last contestant. I just couldn't see anyone else from Hogwarts competing.

To her the best wizards had always been the Marauders. She wondered who would be as competitive as James.

The final flame burst out slowly scrawling a name in the air for all to see. You could hear everyone take in a deep breath in anticipation. The fire slowly spelled out Remus. I felt my heart plummet to the pit of my stomach. My breath had stopped short and I couldn't hear the sound of cheers over the beating of my own heart. My hands began to shake.

_Remus he wouldn't…would he?_

I hadn't even registered him standing up until my own hands had taken a hold of his sleeves. He turned slowly towards me and gave me his trademark smile that could turn my legs into jelly; before bending down to give me a chaste kiss on the forehead. My grip relaxed allowing him to slip out of my grasp and join the rest. I was probably the only not cheering. My eyes wouldn't leave Remus even after the ceremony came to an end.

"Everyone lets give our champions a huge round of applause. From this point on all of you will be competing against one another. You will have only but yourself to trust. You must rely on your strength, intelligence and skill to make it through. Cheating shall not be tolerated. Every champion shall only be allowed their wand and nothing more. I wish all of you luck. Let the Tournament commence!"

…

_When faced with impending doom…_

_Our will to survive becomes present but…_

_Only the strong willed can survive…_

_…Shall you be the coward or the brave?_

_Is it enough…_

_Shall bravery suffice…?_

_…your strength?_

_Or will you cower when the time comes?_

* * *

Ps: please review the first task shall be in the next chapter. I really hope you all like it. If anyone is confused please message me.


	21. Chapter 21

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 21**

Okay, I know this took pretty much forever to update and I'm sure a lot of you have been using your imaginations to plan out my murder. Nonetheless I wanted to give you the best. I really hope all of you enjoy this new chapter. For those few who have reviewed, thank you so much for your continued support. I absolutely love every single one of your reviews. I read them at least twice if not more. I would really like to hear any suggestions or any complains that you may have. Like if you will like to see more love scenes between Remus and Emily or more interactions between Ephraim and Emily. I am all eyes and ears for all my lovely viewers.

* * *

…

**X Sirius X**

_The stage is dark, the curtains are drawn, and a light flickers to life. A guy with black hair and gray eyes; stands in the light right, smack in the middle of the stage with a mike in hand._

_Everything is silent. He lets out a breath, before a smooth even voice takes its place. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mambo number five." As these last words leave his lips the place comes to life._

"_One," fingers snap the audience gasps. "Two," fingers snap, a foot taps. "Three," eyes stare, lips curve, his smirk appears. "Four," the faint squeals are heard in the background. "Five," the stage is set. The stage shines with life. "Everybody in the car so come on let's ride..."_

"_To the liquor store around the corner." _

"_The boys say they want some gin and juice but I really don't wanna."_

"_Beerbust like I had last week." _

"_I must stay deep 'cause talk is cheap." Girls swoon. _

"_I like Angela," the light shines on a girl with wavy brown hair and charming smile. "Pamela," a girl with blond hair winks at the audience. "Sandra," a girl with black hair and a flirtatious smile waved at the audience. "And Rita," a girl with short black hair simply smiles a knowing smile with a hand on her hip. _

"_And as I continue, you know they're getting sweeter." At his smirk, the females in the vicinity melt._

"_So what can I do? I really beg you my Lord." Shoulders shrug yet flirtatious smirk stays in place._

"_To me flirting is just like a sport."_

"_Anything fly, it's all good let me dump it."_

"_Please set it in the trumpet." _

"_A little bit of Monica in my life," A girl to the right blows a kiss. _

"_A little bit of Erica by my side," gives a shy wave. _

"_A little bit of Rita's what I need," he twirls a girl around._

"_A little bit of Tina's what I see," he blows a kiss to girl on the left._

"_A little bit of Sandra in the sun," a girl in a sundress twirls in place. _

"_A little bit of Mary all night long," a girl with a finger on her lower lip sends a seductive smile._

"_A little bit of Jessica here I am," he jumps down surprising a girl in the front row._

"_A little bit of you makes me your man!" the girls in the background squeal in delight._

"_Mambo number five." Suddenly the Marauders appear. _

"_Jump up and down and move it all around." The Marauders jumps up and down before linking hands to twirl around._

"_Shake your head to the sound, put your hands on the ground." The Marauders shake heads in unison._

"_Take one step left," Marauders move to the left. "And one step right." _

"_One to the front and one to the side."_

"_Clap your hands once and clap your hands twice"_

"_And if it look like this then you're doing it right."_

"_A little bit of Monica in my life,"_

"_A little bit of Erica by my side."_

"_A little bit of Rita's what I need,"_

"_A little bit of Tina's what I see."_

"_A little bit of Sandra in the sun,"_

"_A little bit of Mary all night long." _

"_A little bit of Jessica here I am,"_

"_A little bit of you makes me your man!" He turns to the side and points. The light shines in the direction he points when suddenly the music comes to a sudden halt. There standing with her arms crossed and glare, that can send a Dementor hiding under the sheets; stands Elizabeth. Everything goes silent before the sound of a mike hitting the ground and the back door swinging shut is heard._

"_Sirius Black!" Elizabeth gives chase._

"_Let the Story begin!" the Marauders chorus._

…

* * *

**Remus's POV**

I could feel my breath leave my body in short puffs. I had been running for so long that I was beginning to second guess myself. I had been absolutely sure that this was the way to go but seeing as we were getting nowhere made me rethink my earlier decision. My eyes darted from side to side. We had only been here for a short while and my body was more than wary of this place. Now, I knew what they meant by when they said that our lives would be at stake. My eyes swept across the dimly lit passageways to assess the others. From the looks of it the past couple of minutes had taken a toll on them. I wondered if it was thanks to my lycanthropy curse that my body was hardly affected. There were only ten of us left. The two people from the Taranis School had left the rest of us behind. In that short time we had lost two others one from the Durmstrang and another from Beauxbators. Everything had happened so fast it was a wonder how we were able to make it thus far.

_Only a few moments before…_

"_Welcome to the Tower of Babylon. Your task shall be to make it to the top of the tower and to obtain one of the prizes located at the top. You will only be allowed the use of your wand. The tower has five floors, each floor will test your strength, intelligence, resourcefulness, and your skill as a wizard or witch. You will have five hours to complete your task. Best of luck!"_

_The crowd began to cheer for its contesters. All twelve contestants made their way towards the main gate. In front of them stood a tall tower built from gray stones. The tower looked old and daunting. Its walls were covered in green moss with vines growing out from the stones. The moment they reached the top of the steps, they were greeted with the loud sounds of the stone doors moving across the pavement. Once the doors opened the twelve, tentative and confident, feet stepped forward. The moment all twelve stepped inside was the same moment that the stone walls shut behind them. They were greeted by darkness and the welcome of an eerie silence._

_Out of the corner of my eye I see Ephraim, take a step forward. The moment his right foot hit the stone, the torches on the walls ignited with life. The fire revealed a large empty hall with long pillars to support the roof. On the opposite wall, two large statues stood to indicate the entrance of a passage that will lead them further into the tower. The empty hall seemed innocent enough but something told him that it wasn't necessarily the case._

_Before he could voice his concerns the girl standing on his right decided to voice her own thoughts._

"_Is there a reason why we are standing around, wasting time?" She was from the Beauxbators Academy, if memory served well, her name is Heather. Seeing no response from the rest of us, she proceeded to huff in annoyance before continuing. "Fine, if none of you will, then I will. Step aside cowards. I'll show you how a real witch does it."_

"_I don't think you should-." Before I could finish, she had already taken a step forward. Before any of us could react, the stone tile she had been standing on, only moments before had vanished from right underneath her. She would have been a goner, if James hadn't caught her in time. She let out a gasp in surprise._

"_I-I didn't know." She looked quite shaken by what had almost happened._

"_And that is exactly why you won't last much longer." The condescending tone had come from the girl named Nichole. She was from the same school as __**him (Ephraim)**__._

"_So what do you think we should do Moony?" It was James._

_I looked in the direction of the stone tiles. My eyes swept across the room, trying to find some sort of clue as to how to get across. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Ephraim bending down to examine the tiles. That's when I notice the different symbols engraved into the tiles. I frown when I realize that I don't recognize any of the symbols._

"_Have you figured it out yet?"- Nichole is looking at Ephraim waiting for him to answer her question. Instead of responding he steps forward onto a square. A few are shocked that he hasn't fallen._

"_How did he…?"- Heather_

"_Its Ephraim," Nichole said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Without looking back she follows after him. The rest of us follow soon after. We go one at a time, we are unsure as to how many are aloud per tile. We decide not to risk it so we go a line. We go on any tiles that have similar symbols. We are barely half way when we suddenly hear a sound._

"_Everyone stop!" I warn them but only a few heed my warning. Ephraim being one of those who didn't, continued as if I hadn't spoken. The girl Nichole continues to follow after him. _

"_I'm not waiting around until we run out of time. I'm following them." – Heather she was the other one who refused to listen. Before I could tell her to stop, it happens. Right before us the stones begin to move, sliding into a new position on the floor. In a way it looked like a giant snake with its coils moving in a circular pattern. A moment was all it took for Heather to make a false step and to fall into the abyss. Ephraim seemed to have predicted this ahead of time and had made sure to get to the other side as fast as possible._

_The rest of us proceed at a slower pace, from the fear of stepping on a wrong tile. Then the tiles came to a halt and all of us let out a breath. Just when we were about to proceed at our regular pace is when we hear it, the unmistakable sound of stone breaking. That's when all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I finally understand why there was a time limit. Why we are only allowed five hours to complete the task. It all made sense now why there are only five floors in the tower. Each level has a time limit and we have just reached it. We have run out of time. That's when I saw it, the walls and the tiles started to cave in._

"_RUN!" Prongs bellowed. He's right we have to run or it's all over. We all ran, some attempted to stop the ground and walls from crumbling, but none of the spells worked. It also didn't help that pieces from the roof also seemed to be collapsing. Using my wand I quickly use a levitation spell to prevent a large part of the ceiling from collapsing on top of us. It wouldn't last long but it would be enough to get across. The girl from earlier had been right. We had wasted too much time and it had cost us._

_In the last second we jumped through the door and onto solid ground. We made it just before a stone wall came down with a thundering crash. The dust causes us to cough. I stand up slowly as the rest of the debris settles down. We had lost someone but the rest of us had made it through. It was easy to see that both Ephraim and Nichole went on without us. After all, this was a competition and there can only be one winner._

"_I suggest we stick together if we want to make it out of here in one piece." I needed to know who I can trust. I knew it was a long shot but if I could get at least a few of them on our side it would be enough; the more of us working together, the higher our chances of survival._

"_I don't see why not."Shrugged Alexis, the girl from the warrior school. I was surprised by her response I figured she would be one of the first to refuse._

"_The same goes with me. Besides this tower gives me the creeps." Raven, the one that goes to the same school as Alexis._

"_Count us in." It was the boys from Durmstrang._

"_Same here." Rebecca and Mathew from the Ice school._

"_I would prefer not to end up like Heather."Natalie from Beaxbators._

"_What do you have in mind?"- Alexis_

"_Well…"_

* * *

We had moved on to the next floor together as a group. In that floor we were encountered by numerous traps. There were moments when I thought we would fall into a trap or worse die but we had managed. We had worked together to get through. To say it was difficult would be an understatement. Alexis and Raven had been quick in dispelling the traps hidden in the walls. Rebecca and Mathew had helped us get past the floor with thin ice. James and I did our part with the poisonous snakes. Unfortunately we had lost another person. We had lost Ian, from Durmstrang, when he had fallen into a trap. He didn't get hurt but he wasn't able to proceed like the rest of us. He had fallen into a glass prison. We had tried but nothing worked, anything anyone did was sent back.

We were standing at the entrance of the third floor. I moved forward with caution. After everything that happened there was little that could surprise me. The room was pretty bare except for the eight boxes that circled the hour glass that stood in the middle room. The hourglass sat on top of a peddle stool.

I proceed to the other side. It didn't take me long to realize that the door was locked. Not even a spell will help me unlock it.

"So the key is in one of these boxes." – James pointed at the boxes with a look of uncertainty.

"It would best to decide which to open first. We don't exactly know what's in there or what might happen." – Natalie

"She's right. We'll there are eight boxes and we are down to fifty minutes. One of them holds the key. Which should we open first?" – I look at the rest.

"Let's open this one." Natalie was pointing to a small wooden box with swirl patterns. It has a similar carving pattern as the one on the door. "It looks like the door." True, but it could also be easily a trap. There was only one way to find out.

"Open it." With slow tentative hands she lifts the lid revealing a small toy.

"You've got to be kidding that's it! I thought we would at least get some giant monster to come out. I almost had a heart attack. In that case let's open them all-." – Alexis

"Wait!" The toy had begun to play a tune on its own. If there was one thing I learned since entering the tower was that not everything is what it seems. Just as it finished its last tune I was proven right. I was getting sick and tired of being right.

The toy broke apart to reveal large insects that jumped out and sprang towards us. It wasn't until Seth arm went limp at his side; that we realized that their stings could paralyze. "Everyone move back!" There had to be something that could stop them. I just had to think of something.

"Accio!" I call out. Instead of seeing the insect become ash, I see them grow in size. They apparently like fire.

"They're surrounding us." – Natalie

We were running out of time.

"Forget this! Mobiliarbus!" James had used his wand on one of the peddle stools to smash the bugs. It wasn't the most pleasant sight but at least it was effective.

"Disgusting! Was that really necessary?" – Natalie

"We should hurry. We don't have much time left." I grabbed the nearest box and opened it. There was a good chance it would unleash something dangerous but at least it was better than waiting for it to happen.

"What is it?" – Rebecca. I was surprised, she hadn't spoken much. She didn't seem the talkative kind. "Drop it." I dropped it. Even though she didn't yell, I still felt compelled to follow her advice without question. It was a good thing I did because it that moment the box had began to disintegrate into smoke. It was like some invisible acid had been in the box. The acid proceeded to eat through the stone floor, slowly spreading.

"Open the other boxes! We have to find the key now!" I saw everyone scramble trying to reach a box. "Everyone towards the door!" My warning had been too late Seth had been trying to reach the box on the opposite side. There was no way he could reach us now.

"I have the key! Here catch!" he had sent a small purple key flying towards us. James managed to catch it. "Go on ahead!"

"You still have time. You can-." I tried to say but I was cut off by him.

"It's alright. Just make sure you win Lupin." - Seth

…

* * *

**Ephraim's POV**

"_What did you say to him?" I was a little surprised to hear the anger behind her question. I knew she would be upset but she had never reacted this way before. This side of her excited me._

"_Emily, what makes you think I said anything," from the look on her face I could see that she didn't believe me one bit. If it were anyone else they would have believed anything that came out of my mouth even if it was a complete utter lie. Still she knew and that's what made me smirk._

"_Don't lie to me." My smirk widened at her condescending tone. It would be a lie to say that I didn't enjoy riling her up. Still that wasn't what I came for. I needed her to understand. It didn't matter if she didn't choose me as long as she understands what she means to me._

_I watch her silently before responding, "I simply offered him a challenge which he accepted." I could see as she watched me intently with those large brown eyes. I could feel my hand twitch. It was just too tempting. Just a simple tug of her wrist, that's all it would take to devour her lips.-_

"Ephraim, are you listening?" No, I wasn't and I wasn't planning on starting now. I simply cast a glance in her direction before proceeding on to the fourth floor. I would have preferred to do this on my own but for now I have to put up with her. "We should hurry before they catch up."

It didn't matter to me if they caught up or not. The only thing that mattered at the moment is staying focused on my goal. As I reached the door, it opened to reveal a dark room. The first thing I took note of was the complete silence. Every muscle in my body tensed. This floor would be the hardest; there was no doubt in his mind about that. Still that only made things a bit more interesting. The floor was covered in a type of checkered patterned tile, black and white. On the sides there are black windows aligned across the walls. Instead of seeing the night sky all you can see is pitch black. Taking slow measured steps as my eyes continued to assess the room for any sign of movement. Behind me I could hear the hurried steps of Nichole.

In between the windows stood marble statues of warriors. As soon as my foot hit the tile located in the middle of the room they moved. The statues had come to life. I let a small smirk grace my lips. The fun had just begun.

"Ephraim look out!" I had seen them coming a mile away. This was nothing to someone like me. There was easily ten soldiers and all them seemed to able to repel all forms of magic. Still if there was one thing I learned over the years is that everything has a weakness.

It didn't take long to figure out the appropriate spell to stop them in their tracks. Still the entire ordeal took too long for my liking. I had spent about twenty minutes dodging them at the same time trying to figure out how to get rid of them. It had been difficult but I had succeeded. The moment they stopped in their tracks that last door opened; the door that will lead me to the finish line. With long confident strides I opened the final door.

I was greeted by a brightly colored room. The rays of the soon were coming through the windows giving it a nice glow. That's when I see it a few feet in front of me. I line of egg shaped stones. The stones looked like giant jewels just waiting to be found. I reached out and took one. I took the golden colored one, some how it felt right to choose this one. It was evident that we are only allowed to take one. On the right side of me I see as Nichole takes a tentative step forward before reaching out to one of the stones. It doesn't come as a surprise as I see her reach out for the silver colored one.

It doesn't take us long to exit the tower. We are greeted to sounds of cheers. My eyes dart around in search of one and only one person. I catch her gaze and I can't help but marvel in the way she looks with the setting sun behind her. I felt a familiar swell in my chest; the one I would get when my father would pat my back for doing something that made him proud. I felt it, not from the abundant of applauses that the crowed threw my way but because she had seen me. She had watched and I had shown her what I could do. There was no doubt in my mind that she was impressed I could see it in her expressive eyes. That was another thing that I loved about her; her eyes would never lie to me, they were incapable of lying. I will let her see what life would be like if she chose me.

It didn't take long before the rest came out. They had made it just in time. A total of eight of us had made it out. Four of the contestants had either been stuck or had simply not made it out. Luckily they had made it out of there with their lives. The four who had failed had been sent to the medical wing. I doubted they would be waking any time soon.

"Well done champions! You have succeeded your first task. As the rules state Ephraim from Taranis shall receive the honor of first place for the time being. As for the last contesters you shall be granted point for your quick thinking and teamwork. To celebrate we shall have a carnival of sorts. Make sure to enjoy yourselves. Oh! And before I forget, the trinkets you have obtained have two purposes. One, it serves as a clue to the second task and its second purpose, that you must figure out on your own. Let the celebrations begin!"

…

* * *

"_A person shall seek the approval of the many while the champion shall seek no further than from the ones they love." – unknown_

* * *

Authors: note

Okay, before you mutilate me, I would like to say that in my defense it takes a while to come up with these stories. Yes, I do have what you would call an outline of my story but I don't actually have anything explicit written down. Therefore what I write takes time. Anyways I ended it in a sort of cliffhanger because I know a lot of you have been waiting a while. I will try to write the next one very soon but it will be a bit difficult since I'm in the middle of finals and all. Anyways I hope all of you like this. The next chapter should have the festival and the beginning of task two. By the way I think I like task two better than task one. I hope you all liked task one. I worked really hard in trying to make it interesting. At the same time giving you an idea of what Ephraim is like. Oh, and please REVIEW! (that was a long authors note *sweat drop*)


	22. Chapter 22

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 22**

Okay, first of all, I would just like to say thanks to those of you who enjoyed the part, about Sirius singing "Mambo number 5." I just had to put that in there. I'm glad a lot of you enjoyed it. Anyways, I know it takes me a while to update so thank you so much for putting up with me. By the way those waiting on Your Guardian Angel well I'm…stuck. I'm serious, I have a horrible case of writers block. I know where I want it to go but I don't know how to make it get there. Does that make any sense? Anyways enjoy!

* * *

…

_Lily's POV_

"_I hate him…yes him, James Potter. Not because of his immaturity or self arrogance. No, it's much more than that, it's something that can't be described in a few simple words but it's there nonetheless. It's in the way he walks, in the manner in which he speaks, the way he manages to make me feel inferior by his presence alone. At the same time those eyes that belong to that body, to that person, can make me feel like I am somehow above the rest. His gaze, those eyes, they make me feel exposed. Almost like he can see my deepest darkest secrets, yet not be repulsed or affronted by it._

_When we argue it's not just anger that I feel, it's something much more. I feel alive, he makes me feel alive. He invokes these feelings in the pit of my stomach that make me want to run. It scares me to know that he can make me feel this way. It's frustrating to realize he can have that control over me and for me not to be able to do anything about it. I hate, that he's able to crawl into my skin and can get a reaction out of me. It's frustrating to know, that he can manage to make me feel this way without so much as a thought._

_This isn't me. I'm not supposed to be some girl who goes around telling people what to do or insulting them. I just don't understand how I can be calm one second then all it would take is one look, one word, and I'm on my feet yelling at the top of my lungs. I'm not supposed to act irresponsible or crazy; that isn't me, this isn't me, it's supposed to be him…, not me…I wish I could believe that…"_

…

* * *

Story Start normal POV

* * *

"_Life is like a festival of sorts. Colorful lights and music that can make your head spin. Strangers that you meet as you pass, as you continue aimlessly foreword. You stop only for a brief moment when something catches your eye or steps in your way. If you don't do whatever it was that caught your eye it will vanish in an instant. So you do what you feel is right otherwise you might regret missing your chance. Life is simply that, a festival, it's an adventure where the unexpected is to be expected and the expected is not."_

* * *

Bright lights illuminated the courtyard. Everything was filled with colors and music. Even the people had a sense of liveliness to them that made you want to join in on the festivities. Everyone was gathered and watching as the different performers performed their little exhibition. The first task seemed to be a thing of the past. It felt like it had happened a long time ago, even though I knew that it had occurred, only a mere few hours ago.

I had been scared stiff, when I found out that Remus was going to be participating. After hearing all the stories about the Tournament from James; it scared me to think about what might happen to him. I'm not sure how I knew but I knew that it had been Ephraim's fault. I just couldn't understand why he disliked Remus. I knew that Ephraim tended to be a little pig headed at times but he was never irrational. He was never the type to pick fights except for the exception of me of course so why? Why him…?

My train of thought had vanished the moment I felt the all familiar feeling of his hand in mine. He gave me one of his infamous smiles before gesturing in a certain direction.

"Come, I want you to meet some people." He was gesturing me in the direction of the other champions. This was meant as sort of celebration in honor of those who completed the first task. It had only been the first task and yet two schools were already out of the running; the boys from Durmstrang and the girls from Beauxbators. We made our way through the bustling of people. There standing in the middle being surrounded by a crowd, with wands pointed at one another, stood James and Lily. From the looks of things they had gotten into one of their usual spats. Before I could say or move forward, one of the guys from Durmstrang moved in front of Lily, completely blocking her from James's view. I cringed at the display, there was no doubt in my mind that the anger, that caused James's shoulder to tense up and his mouth turn into a scowl, was caused by the guy's display. It had taken some time but in the end I had noticed that James was-_is_ madly in love with Lily.

Whatever had happened had something to do with this guy. "What your little boyfriend thinks he can beat me!" His words were coated in distaste and venom. It scared me to see James like this. I was always used to seeing him happy and care free.

In response to his words Lily stepped forward, "He is not my boyfriend and he doesn't need to beat you. I can do that myself."

"Stand back Lily. I'll take care of him." At his words both James and Lily turned to look at him, one in distaste and the other in anger.

"No, I will not stand back. I don't know, who the hell you think you are but I can take care of myself." Her voice had risen in indignation that was fuelled by his words. Just then two others from his school joined the circle. In response, Remus moved forward he was more than ready to defend his friend. Not wanting to be left behind, I joined in as well, standing on the other side of James with my wand ready. I could tell that the situation was getting out of hand. The headmasters hadn't noticed because of all the loud commotion caused by the festivities. Just when I thought the tension couldn't get anymore suffocating _he _appears.

"Are you all done?" It was more of a command than a question. His authoritative voice rang in the air causing everyone to shift in discomfort except for Remus, who watched him with a calculating gaze. "Seth, I wonder what the reporters from the daily prophet would say if they were to found out about this." His eyes had a contemplating yet knowing look that made the guy, named Seth, lower his wand. "I doubt it would look good for your reputation to be considered as a sore loser. After all how else would they explain you starting a fight with a rivaling school?" His words caused Seth to send Ephraim a glare, which he promptly ignored with a raise of an eyebrow.

"We'll finish this another time Potter." With that he turned swiftly around followed shortly by his companions. He gave one last small smile towards Lily before disappearing into the crowd.

"Potter you're insufferable," Lily huffed in indignation before also disappearing into the crowd.

"Its James right," Ephraim didn't wait for James to reply before continuing, "a way to a woman's heart is not by controlling her you know. Try being honest you might be surprised with the answer you get." He turned around and disappeared along with the others.

"James you okay." I turned towards him and put my hand on his shoulder. He let out a breath before running his hand through his unruly hair.

"Yeah I'm alright. I just kind of lost it, when I saw him with her." Standing next to him stood Remus who let out a breath that caressed my cheek.

"Prongs you need to think before you do these things. Come on lets meet up with the rest."

It didn't take long to meet the others. Together we went to every stall and every little show available. At some point I ended slamming into one of the guys from Jehanna. If I remember correctly he was one of the few champions who had made it.

"Now, what do we have here? Hello gorgeous." I was a little stumped at his words. Luckily I didn't have to answer because Remus stepped in front of me.

"Raven," He nodded his acknowledgement to the other guy. His voice had sounded a bit hostile but the guy named Raven didn't seemed bothered in the least. He responded with a broad smile before directing his look at me once again.

"Why, Remus? Why didn't you tell me, you had such a hot looking friend?" I couldn't help but blush as the compliment. Remus on the other hand, didn't seem too happy. I couldn't see his face but from the look Raven was giving I could only imagine. "Relax, I get it, I get it, she's off limits. So…, what's your name, sweet cheeks?" (AN: *rolls eyes* he apparently doesn't get it.)

"My name is Emily. It's nice to meet you." Completely ignoring the death glare being sent by Remus, he responded with another one of his broad smiles before turning back to Remus.

"So, Remus buddy you and Emily want to join us. We were planning on checking out some of the booths." Before either Remus or I could respond, he grabbed my hand and began dragging us towards the group. "Everyone meet Emily, she has stolen my heart." In the next moment two things happened, one Remus pulled me towards him, and two, a girl with red hair gave Raven a hard smack on the head.

"What did I tell you about causing trouble? Stop scaring the poor girl. You keep this up I'll end up having to beat you to a bloody pulp." The girl with red hair sent one more hateful glare before turning towards us. "Sorry about him. Hi my name is Alexis and you must be Emily."

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Sorry about him Remus, don't take his words seriously." Remus just gave her a small nod before letting me go.

"Come on lets go check out the booths shall we." Alexis picked up Raven with ease before directing the rest of us towards a stall.

"Step right up! Who wants to try their luck! Come on! Don't be shy!" A man dressed in colorful red robes directed his attention towards us. "What do you say lad? Want to win a gift for the pretty lady?" He was asking Raven while gesturing in Alexis's general direction.

He scoffed before muttering, "What lady? You mean that thing- ow, what the hell!" He had been smacked by Alexis yet again. They reminded me a lot of Sirius and Elizabeth.

"Look, just because you're an imbecile it doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse to say idiotic things!" Yup that was a lot of anger that she was showing.

"What about you? Want to win something for the little lady?" He had turned towards us. I was a little shy with all this sudden attention. Before I could politely refuse, Remus stepped forward and gave him two sickles. "Golly good lad, alright then let me tell you the rules, so pay close attention. Here in front of you are five clear glasses, all the same size, height and material. In my hand I hold five cards. Look at all five and remember one of them. Don't tell me, just picture it in your head." He grabbed five cards and placed them on the table in front of Remus. Once satisfied that Remus had chosen his card he grabbed all five and the cards began to burn in the palm of his hand. The five became five little fireballs which the man juggled through his fingers. The little flames continued to dance around his fingers while his eyes stayed on us. In one smooth motion he discarded the ashes inside the five individual cups. "Now pick a cup and turn it over. If you pick the card you remembered correctly then it should turn back to the way it was."

Remus stayed still for a moment as his eyes watched all five cups. With long articulate fingers he grabbed the fourth cup in the row and flipped it over. The moment he did the ashes came fluttering down recreating the card and in seconds one of the cards that had been burned lay perfectly intact within the cup. I could see a small smile tug at the corner of his lips and his eyes glint in amusement.

"Well done! As promised. Your prize," with a flick of the wrist a small group of squares floated in the air in front of us, moving in a circular motion. "Pick one."

Remus turned towards me before giving me one of his smiles. "Go ahead and pick." With tentative fingers, I stepped forward and snatched one of the floating boxes from the air. The moment I placed my hand at eye level it opened it to reveal a simple blue necklace. I loved it. I didn't even know what to say. "Here let me." I simply nodded at his reply. He grabbed the necklace and with an ease that made my knees go weak, he placed it around my neck. I turned around and placed a small thank you kiss on his lips. Before I could turn to the others he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a sweet breath taking kiss. His lips felt soft and moist against mine. Without much thought I laced my hands into his hair bringing him closer.

Breaking apart from the kiss I still held him close. "You scared me you know." I had my eyes closed and my forehead against his.

He pulled me into a tight embrace before responding, "I know I'm sorry." Before he could pull me into another kiss, we were interrupted.

"When you two are done making out in public. You can join us for some butterbeer." I couldn't help but blush. I had forgotten all about where we were. Remus on the other hand chuckled at my embarrassment at being caught in such a situation.

Once we all settled down on a table, conversations on the upcoming tasks commenced. "So, Remus any clues as to the upcoming task," asked Alexis.

"To be honest I haven't checked since this afternoon." I would have been surprised if it wasn't for that fact that I was the one who had kept him occupied. Thinking back at how scared I had been and how happy I was to see him okay, led me to react in a certain way. The whole situation made my cheeks burn a new hue of red. Even his voice reminded me of what had transpired well off into the evening. It would have gotten out of hand if Sirius hadn't shown up in that moment.

"Well Raven over here thinks we should break the stones," she responded with a roll of her eyes at the absurdity at such a suggestion.

"You're just jealous that you didn't come up with it yourself." He all but screamed in retaliation.

"Me, jealous? Ha! I thank the sun and moon every day, for not giving me your tiny brain," responded Alexis with ease.

"Ignore them. They actually like each other. The only reason why these haven't jumped each other is because both of them have too much pride and refuse to admit to their feelings." The words came from another person sitting only a few seats away. He had the similar shade of red on his hair as the other two. At hearing his words both Raven and Alexis turned their anger towards him.

"WE DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER!" They chorused. In response the guy chuckled at their outright denial of such a proclamation.

"Yes you do," he responded in a matter a fact tone. Before either one could retort he continued, "If you didn't, you wouldn't get mad every time he would try to flirt with another girl." he pointed at Alexis who pointedly ignored his accusatory eyes.

"I do not get mad," she muttered but was ignored.

"AHA! So you do like me. I knew you wanted all of this. No one can resist having a piece of Raven the magnificent," he pointed at himself in a very assured gesture.

"I do not like you! So get off your high horse." She screamed in response.

"Don't deny it you've wanted me since day one. No wonder, you find any excuse to get your hands all over me." Before she could respond a retort, the guy who had started this spoke up once more.

"You're one to talk. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about Raven. You've been having dirty dreams about her, ever since she beat you fair and square about a year ago. You've fancied her a lot longer than she has." At this Raven's turned a bright red. I wasn't sure whether it was from embarrassment or humiliation that everyone heard about his little secret.

Alexis decided to show her triumphant face. "I knew it! You little pervert. I should have known and to think I considered you my equal. All this time, those sparing matches were just an excuse to get close to me. You never thought I was good enough. Why you little-.!"

"Enough! both of you! I'm sick and tired of you two bickering all the time. Just snog the crap out of each other and get it over with already!" The two had gotten quiet and began to fidget uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"Damn you Michael," Alexis mumbled under her breath.

* * *

The rest of the day went a lot more smoothly. After the festivities everyone headed back to get some rest. The second task wouldn't start until the day after tomorrow. They wanted to give those in the infirmary a chance to catch the rest of the tournament. It other words the champions would be given the day off tomorrow. I guess part of them hadn't expected two schools to be out of the running so soon.

I was heading towards my room when I heard the sound of music. It was soothing. The music floated up to my ears and pulled me towards the source. Almost as though I were in a trance I began to follow the sound. It led me to an open common room were the only source of light came from the wood roasting in the fire place. My eyes swept across the room in hopes of finding the source of whatever played that symphony. My eyes landed on a figure sitting by the window sill. My mind tried to recall were I had seen him before while my feet took me foreword. Upon noticing my arrival the figure or person turned their head in my direction.

His eyes, the first thing I noticed were his eyes. They reminded me of Remus's eyes except these eyes were a lighter shade of blue. "Hi," my voice came out barely above a whisper. At my greeting he turned to face me fully. That's when my mind recognized him for the first time. He was one of the champions that had been chosen. If I remembered correctly, his name was Mathew; he was from that ice school, Calypso. Remus had introduced me to him earlier but like now he was quiet.

"Hi, Emily, right?" I nodded my head in response. "I must have disturbed you. I'm sorry about that."

"No, not at all I was just curious. The music sounded really nice. What was it that you were playing?" His face lighted at my question and proceeded to motion me closer.

"Where I'm from they call it a Syrinx, it's like a flute."

"Can I see it?" Almost immediately he handed me the flute. I took it in my hands. The instrument was made out a metallic gold with intricate designs that covered its smooth surface. Before I could voice my curiosity on the interesting pattern he spoke up.

"Those scribbles are actually writings."

"About what?" I turned to look at him as his eyes glazed over in thought.

"It's an old tale that my parents used to tell me." I wasn't sure what expression I had on my face but then he turned to me and smiled. "Would you like to hear it?" I nodded my head in response. It made me happy to realize that Remus had friends that would help him through the tasks. This Mathew guy reminded me a little of James and his laid back personality. "The story begins like most in a far away land." I almost laughed at how cliché it sounded. "There was a rich man who had started out as poor and became greedier as he aged. He found a woman he could love that loved him back. He married her and cherished her but he was still fuelled by greed. He would go around saying how gold meant everything to him. That money was what made him happy and what made the world go round."

"One day while he was out, a thief came in and stole his gold. When he came back he found himself penny less. As the days passed he became more depressed. His wife tried everything to console him but nothing worked. One day he heard the town's people gossiping about a hidden treasure. Intrigued he went to find out more. He came upon a shop that gave him the directions to this hidden place. The shop owner warned him that there was a price for such a treasure. He said that in exchange he would have to give up what made him happiest."

I was captivated by the story. Part of me felt I shouldn't be so surprised considering who my parents are. They never told me bed time stories and most of the things I read were more for school than actual enjoyment. "What did he say?"

"He scoffed and walked away. In his mind he had already lost it. For him it was money that made him the happiest. So he went and found it. He came upon a tree that grew golden apples. You could imagine his delight written across his face at seeing so much gold but before he could even take a step forward, he was stopped. He was stopped by two large birds. They are better known as griffins, said to be guardians of forbidden treasures. The man looked once more at the gold before getting enough courage to face them. The griffins seeing his determination asked him what he wanted. He responded the golden apples. The griffins said he could take as much as he wanted but under one condition. Without waiting to hear what condition it might be agreed readily."

"What was the condition?"

"The condition was that they would take something of higher value in exchange. In other words they would take away what made him happiest."

"But I thought you said that what made him happiest was gold."

"No, what I said was what **he** thought made him happiest." My mouth formed an 'o' in understanding.

"So what did they take?"

"Well after he gathered all the gold he could carry, he went back home. When he arrived back, the first person he went looking for was his wife. He wanted to show her the good news but when he went to look he couldn't find her. She had disappeared and when he asked the villagers nearby they responded that they saw some large birds take her away." I gasped in response. "When he figured out what happened he became depressed. He went back to find the griffins but the place was gone, empty, even the golden apples were gone. In his despair he went searching for her. He travelled giving away the gold he had saved up. He didn't give the apples away in hopes of trading them for his wife. On the third week of searching he came upon their nest. The griffins saw him and told him to leave. He refused and begged them to give him back his wife. The griffins offered him more gold in exchange for him to forget about his wife."

"Did he accept?"

"Surprisingly, no, he didn't. Instead he offered what little gold he had including the apples in exchange for his wife. The griffins at first refused. That's when he offered his life as well. He said he would give anything to have her back if only for a moment. At his words the griffins released her. The moment he saw her, he embraced her, and kissed her with all the longing he had for her. He whispered to her how much he loved her and how he couldn't go on with life without her. After that he became rich again but instead of keeping the gold for himself he gave it away. He gave gold to whoever needed it and spent the rest of his life telling her how much he loves her."

"I'm happy."

"You like happy endings." It wasn't a question but more of an observation.

"I love happy endings. I want my life to have a happy ending too." He smiled at my confession.

"You will. I can tell how much he loves you." He smiled once more before bidding me goodnight.

I went to bed thinking about what he said. I smiled thinking back to everything that had happened during the past couple of years. There was nothing that could keep me from being with him. He made me happy. There was nothing it this world that meant more to me than him.

* * *

…

"_In a life full of love, time has no meaning but when that love is lost it is us that have no meaning."_

_cloud9strife_

…

* * *

"Okay any ideas?" James asked.

We had all gathered around the small common room to help both James and Remus figure out the clue for the next task. So far we had nothing.

"It's a stone and they have a different color," Sirius remarked sarcastically. Lately his mood had been worsening. James said it had something to do with excess energy to spare. When I asked what he meant by that, Remus came and put an enchantment over my ears so I couldn't exactly hear what he said. I tried to read his lips but all I could come up was something like 'shux,' whatever that means.

"Padfoot you aren't helping. I know it's a bloody stone but that doesn't help me figure out what the next task will be." James was getting more irritated as time passed. It didn't help that his anxiety was making me anxious.

"What if…" I grabbed one of the stones. I squinted my eyes, as I turned the stone in my hand. There was something about the stone that made it seem…

"What is it?" I was startled by James's words that I dropped the stone into the fire. We had been sitting in a circle around a small fire.

"I'm so sorry I-." before I could finish my apology, James held out his hand, as he stared into the flames.

"Moony can you see that?"

"No, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then throw your stone into the fire." Remus did as James asked and threw his as well. His eyes widened and swept across the fire as though he were reading a text. We couldn't see anything. The only thing we saw was a fire and two stones getting hotter as the seconds passed.

"What does it mean?" asked James.

"I'm not sure. Pass me a parchment and a quill." A few seconds passed before Remus finished writing what he saw. James did the same in case his differed from Remus's.

Placing both parchments side by side we saw that they were the same. Remus began to read…

* * *

_The place you shall enter is dark and damp_

_There are no windows, nor doors_

_There is but one entrance, one exit_

_Your eyes shall be welcomed by darkness_

_And your ears to an eerie silence_

_Endless passageways _

_As far as the eye can see_

_Corridors that have no end and no beginning_

_Pathways will be all that you see_

_Without a set destination_

_Without purpose_

_You will have but a moment to choose_

_For when the clock strikes… the ungodly hour_

_It… shall rise_

_With a hunger that cannot be satisfied_

_A thirst that is unquenchable_

_For it has lain dormant for far too long_

_It will lurk in the shadows…waiting_

_It feasts on your fears_

_Filling your mind to the brim with fright_

_Those who do not fear its legend_

_Nor its name_

_Shall see_

_For It is not a myth _

_But something_

_Something much more_

_And they shall know_

_You will run_

_Your mind will lose all sense of time_

_And will know nothing but the need to run_

_Your mind will desperately try to find a way out_

_For if you don't and time runs out…_

_Well then… you shall surely perish. _

* * *

"That doesn't sound too good mate," Sirius had noticeably sobered up after that. I was still mulling the words over in my head.

"It's a Maze." We all turned to Remus. His words had cut through the gloomy atmosphere.

"What makes you say that Moony?" James had been snapped back into reality.

"Well, look at the first two stanzas in the poem. What else could it be?" He let out a sigh before sitting back in his chair. "I just don't understand the rest. It's obviously not good just like Padfoot said but what? Is it a dragon, a man eating creature? There's just too many possibilities. Besides this poem doesn't help us figure out a way out. All it tells us is what it is but it doesn't even say what type of Maze it is."

"Hey, Moony, why did you decide to participate anyway? You've never been the type to bask in the lime light. So, why?" I looked towards Sirius and back to Remus. I also wanted to know. Ephraim said he had challenged him but there had to be more he wasn't telling me. It takes more than a simple challenge to get Remus to act so irrationally.

"Padfoot's right. Why did you decide to take part in the tournament? I mean I know why I did. I know that if anyone other person other than me was going to join it would have been Padfoot. So, mind telling us what's going on." Everything had gone quite. Everyone was waiting for him to respond.

"If you won't tell them then I will." We all turned towards Elizabeth. We were surprised to find her answering for Remus. "You're doing it for Dumbledore aren't you? Can't the rest of you tell that he wants to feel worthy of attending Hogwarts. After all if it weren't for Dumbledore he wouldn't even be here. I think you four should support him. After all aren't you all his friends. If he wants to prove himself then let him."

"Do you feel well? Not, that I'm concerned in the least. It's just that I think that's the nicest thing you've said to any of us." At his words Elizabeth smacked him with her hat before placing it atop her head once more. "OW!"

After that we all headed towards the dinning hall to get some food. As we headed out of the room I caught a glimpse of Remus giving Elizabeth thanks. I wasn't sure what he was thanking her for but I had a nagging suspicion that he was keeping something from me. Before I could voice my concerns a flash of what occurred two years ago flashes across my mind. I didn't want to go through that again, so I let it go.

As we reached the bottom steps, we were greeted by the two champions from the ice school.

"Emily, Remus, James it's nice to see you three," Mathew greeted us with a smile.

"Same here," responded both Remus and James.

"It's nice to see you again Mathew." I responded with a smile and a hug. I failed to notice Remus's reaction to our familiarity.

"James, Remus, do you remember me?" A girl with white hair was standing next to Mathew.

"Rebecca it's nice to see you again," greeted Remus.

"How could I ever forget you Rebecca," asked James. I noticed her cheeks turn bright pink at his proclamation.

"Emily, I want you to meet my sister. Rebecca, this is Emily, Remus's girlfriend."

I offered a hand which she accepted with a smile of her own.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

I gestured towards the rest of the group, "This is Sirius, Elizabeth and Peter." After everyone was introduced she turned towards the entire group.

"Are you all heading out to dinner? Do you mind if we join you?"

"Nope, come on lets go get seats," James always the eager one of the group to lead the way. It felt nice to just follow the group. I guess you could say I was never leadership material but I was content nonetheless.

As the afternoon progressed James continued to talk to Rebecca like old friends. She had apparently never ridden a broom stick. You could imagine James's shock at that bit of information. As for Remus and the rest of us we continued to talk to Mathew about everything even what little information Remus found from the stone.

"So you think it's a Maze," asked Mathew.

"That would be my guess," responded Remus.

"It makes sense from what the poem said. Actually I think it might also be underground."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well it did say there would be no windows, dark and damp. If there is no light then it has to be closed right and if the stones are damp there had to be water. The only sure place that has some not a lot but enough to make something damp is underground. Especially if you consider how the weather is. I mean it's too warm and it hasn't rained in a while."

"You're right that makes sense but I'm still worried about the other part."

"You mean about the It?"

Remus only nodded. After that both of them got quite as they contemplated the rest of the poem.

"Have you tried looking into myths?" We turned towards Elizabeth. Lately she had been shocking us a lot with the things that came out of her mouth. At first Sirius would nag about her being an airhead. I was beginning to think that maybe Sirius was a poor judge of character. When no one responded to her earlier question she began to get annoyed. "You know the poem did mention something about a myth." When Sirius gave her an incredulous look she huffed in annoyance. "Honestly can't you men think for yourselves?"

She dabbed her lips before standing up and leaving (but not without dragging Sirius a long with her).

"She's right we should check out myths to figure it out."

Noticing that I drank too much juice I excused myself before leaving. I was probably wandering the corridors for about five minutes before I realized that I had gotten lost again. Seriously it's like I'm a joke. Someone out there is probably laughing at my misfortune. It was getting to be quite ridiculous getting lost all these times.

"Don't you ever get tired of getting lost?" Startled by the voice I turn around to find _him_, leaning on a pillar with his hands in his pockets watching me out of the corner of his eye. I didn't have to see his face to know that he found my situation extremely amusing.

"Leaving me alone Ephraim and for your information I'm not lost. I simply don't know where I am." He snorted at my response before shaking his head. Just when I thought he was going to stay quiet, he gets up and makes his way towards me. I'm confused at first when he passes me by. Thinking he was just going to leave me here to wonder the corridors, I turn around to give him a piece of my mind when he stops.

He stops and turns around before raising an eyebrow in question. "Aren't you coming? I can take you back to your room or you could continue trying to figure out where you are."

I'm stumped on what to say so I decide to just follow him. When I reach him I can't help mumbling, "fine, but I'm not lost." He gives me one of those know-it-all smirks that makes me want to kick him in the shins and run but I say nothing.

We continue walking in silence until he lets out a sigh, "has he figured it out yet? Lupin, I mean."

"Of course he has. It's Remus after all." I say in my proudest voice.

"Is that so? So he's already figured out that it's an underground maze," I nod my head, "and that it's a Minotaur that will be chasing us." I almost continue nodding when the words hit me. A MINOTAUR! I stopped dead in my tracks and so does he. He turns and tilts his head, watching me with calm eyes, as though we were merely talking about the weather.

"Wait! What Minotaur?"

"You did say that he had figured it out right. You know the legend about the Minotaur that guards the underground maze."

"I have to tell Remus!" I was more than ready to start running but was stopped by Ephraim grip on my wrist. "Let me go I have to tell him."

"First of all you don't even know the way," I stopped struggling when he said that. It was true I was still lost. "Second of all if he hasn't figured that part out then that means he hasn't figured out what the stones are for." Before I could open my mouth to speak he held up his hand as a way of signaling me to keep quiet.

"No, I won't tell you." I pouted at his response, "don't look at me like that. We aren't team mates we're enemies. It's not my fault he hasn't figured it out." Before I could retort he continues, "No, I won't change my mind-."

"But, can't you just tell me." He cocked an eyebrow, "come on I'll give you…" I racked my brain trying to figure out how to bribe him but nothing came to mind. I couldn't bribe him with money because he's rich. Not with food because let's face it it's too precious. Not with candy he doesn't like sweets. So what?

His face turn thoughtful and for a second I thought he found something he wanted. Then his look turned serious and determined like the way it usually does when he's about to get something he wants. "I'll tell you what. I'm willing to tell you what the stones are for but in exchange you have to do something for me." I frowned at his proposition. Anything that had to do with me doing something for him ended up with me being humiliated and him laughing at me. As though reading my thoughts he responds, "Nothing humiliating of course. I just need your help with something."

Thinking it over in my head I decided to give it a shot. It's not like he hasn't humiliated me before and if there is a chance that I could help Remus then I would take it. "Deal."

Something told me that I would end up regretting my decision but it was too late to rethink things.

…

_Given the choice?_

_Do you pick the one, who you should love or the one you have to?_

…

Authors note: Okay I stopped it here cuz its long and yeah. I hope you all liked this chapter. I'm already working on the next part. I hope this chapter makes up for being so late on my updates.


	23. Chapter 23

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 23**

Okay, as promised the next part. To all those who've reviewed, thank you, and thanks for the continued support; it means the world to me. I would like it if you would let me know about what you liked or didn't like about the new characters. Anyways, Enjoy :)

* * *

_There in the middle of the road, stood two figures; one of a girl with brown hair and equally brown eyes and the other of a boy with black and gray eyes._

_**Why are you doing this?**__ (Her eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, trying to catch the eye of the boy standing in front of her, a boy that is not yet a man. He lifts his head with eyes that long to be accepted. He looks broken and desperate.)_

_(He opens his mouth to speak. In a strangled voice he answers) __**Because…I can't. I can't be your friend.**_

…_**I don't understand.**__ (She is lost and frightened. She doesn't know what to do because this boy, this boy that had always seemed wiser and much too mature for his age had been reduced to a child, to this boy.)_

_**I know… and that's what makes it worse.**__ (He looks tired and defeated; he looks nothing like the guy who would make everyone else, feel inferior to his intellect and would stride around with confidence.) __**Maybe…**__ (He stared at her. He was looking at her. Everything else seemed to stop.)_

… _(The look he gives her causes her breath to come in short. She looks frightened by what she sees.)_

_**Is it because you hate me? **__(It was an innocent question. She had wondered if his new behavior had to do with, him wanting to become her friend. She had hoped that after everything, they could be friends. She shouldn't be surprised he hated her after all.)_

…_**no **__(his answer came out in a shaky whisper as though he wanted to say something else.)_

_**Then…,why can't we be friends?**_

_**Because, friends is just another way of saying, I can't have you.**__ (They are a few simple words that aren't so simple. They are spoken quietly with the ever familiar voice. She can't answer because she doesn't-can't feel the same as he does. Her mind refuses to admit his words as true. She pulls away. She is afraid that he might not let her go. She is surprised by how easy it is to slip from his grasp.)_

_(She can't answer because she doesn't know how.)_

* * *

…

**Silence is never an answer but sometimes it's the only option.**

...

* * *

**Part 23**

They were walking back towards the school. They walked with a good amount of distance between one another and with an awkward silence to keep them company. Both of them are unwilling to break it; he won't because he wants to give her time to take things in; she won't because she refuses to acknowledge the events that took place not too long ago.

They had gone into the woods. He had simply wanted to retrieve something he had dropped, near the tower, where the first task had been held. She didn't ask what it was because it wasn't any of her business; he had asked her to keep watch. She was simply a precaution if in case for some reason the door to the tower closed, for her to help him open it from the outside. She had complied, knowing that he would have to keep his promise. As he had gone in, she had accidentally gone after him, when she realized that she was afraid of the dark. She claimed that she had seen red eyes watching her from behind the trees. Before he could turn around and warn her from coming closer, the door to the tower had closed locking them both inside.

He remembered how he had desperately wanted to maim her then and there; only to stop himself at the sight of her tears.

_He watched her silently, as tears leaked from her eyes. That's when he remembered what happened a few years ago. It was one of the summers that she had come to visit. They had been in the middle of their little war. His family and hers (her aunt and uncle) decided that they would go watch the annual Quidditch world cup. He had taunted her so much that when they made camp she had gone off to get water and had gotten herself lost._

_His mother had sent him to go look for her. She had only been ten at the time. He found her crying in a hole she must have fallen in to. She looked scared and frightened. He hadn't blamed her, the forest was littered with animals and drunken people. He could see that she had scrapped her knee. When he reached out his hand and asked her to stand. He noticed how she wobbled before falling on her butt once more. It didn't take him much to figure out that she had sprained her ankle._

_Without a word he went into the hole and picked her up. He put her behind him before climbing out of the hole. Seeing her so scared and frightened had scared him. In that moment he hated himself for what had happened. As quickly as he could he brought her back to camp._

_She had said nothing for a few moments but then finally her aunt coaxed her into talking once more. He had been close enough to hear everything. She explained that she had been a bit upset (she refused to mention why or the cause) and that she had wandered into the woods. She said she had wanted to get some water but had gotten lost along the way. That she accidentally bumped into this older man, who got angry and wanted to hit her. She then ran as far as she could and fell into a hole._

_After that day she hated the night. She never liked being alone after that. Over time she became comfortable but there were some nights, like this one that reminded her of that day._

_In that moment he felt compelled to comfort her. It had been his uncaring attitude that caused her to run away. He grabbed her and held her as she buried her face into his chest._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered as he gently rubbed her back._

"_It won't happen again," he promised. He had forgotten, but he promised himself that he would never do so again._

"…_scared…so scared," she mumbled into his cloak._

"_I know, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you."_

_Luckily, they were able to open the door from the inside. They had left unscathed. Just when he thought that she would ask him to keep the end of his bargain she surprised him._

"_Thanks, I'm glad we can be friends now." She turned around before smiling._

"_Oh, we're friends now. I thought you said we would be enemies until death." he quirked an eyebrow._

_She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "I only said that because you were being a pigheaded prat."_

"_Smart __**and**__ articulate, quite the catch aren't you." She didn't seem to catch his sarcasm and proceeded to walk in proud manner._

_They continued to walk until she broke the silence once more. "You know I'm happy Remus chose me. I never thought that we would be together. I mean, I'm just me and he…, he's Remus." The way she said his name made it sound like he was someone important. Like a star that was just out of reach._

"_You know you're quite oblivious for your age." She turned around in an indignant manner._

"_I am not oblivious."_

"_Would you prefer blind, or naïve?"_

_She stared at him appalled by his words. "I am NOT blind or naïve."_

_He regarded her calmly before responding, "If that were true then you would have realized; that Remus isn't the only one that chose you."_

_She stood there stunned by his words. She didn't-couldn't say anything back._

As they walked she had began to put things together; his odd behavior then his declaration that Remus wasn't the only one that noticed her. Part of her realized that she knew the answer and that it should be plainly obvious but she didn't. Not wanting to focus on such things she proceeded to get what she had come for.

"What are the stones for?"

Surprised by her question, he stayed silent for a moment. "The stones? You mean the ones for the tournament." She nodded her head waiting for him to continue. "If you cast an alohamora on the stone; it will reveal an item that is supposed to help you through the task. It's meant to be extremely useful."

She pondered his words for a moment before speaking once more, "What did you get?" When he stayed silent she assumed that he didn't want to tell her but he proved her wrong. "I got a map for the tower. Before you ask, the answer is no. I'm not letting Lupin see the map. I still plan on winning."

She frowned at his refusal but said nothing. "Why do you want to win anyways? Besides you aren't going to win its going to be either James or Remus who wins."

"Well if you're so confident in his abilities then let's make a wager. If I win you have to do what I say for the entire summer. No questions, no buts, I get to decide."

"But-."

"No buts."

"And when you don't?"

"Whatever you want," it sounded like words one would say when confident but they weren't. They were just words he meant wholeheartedly even if he did win.

"…So if I tell you to go pick up a cheesecake from a factory on the other side of the country, you would do it?"

"Yes"

"Even at three o'clock in the morning." *twitch*

"Yes"

"On a Saturday?" *barely suppressed annoyance*

"yes"

"In a tutu?" *vein pop*

"…yes"

"With make-up and a wig?"

"…"

"Is that a yes?"

"*mumbles* shut up."

…

* * *

…

"Brother!" Rebecca called out to the retreating back of Mathew. He turned at her voice, stilling his steps, waiting for her to catch up.

"I thought you were going to stay a little later with James," she turned pink at his words.

"I was but I suggested we get some sleep before the second task." She responded as they continued their walk towards their room.

"Mathew?" He turned his head to indicate he was paying attention. "I was wondering,…what do you think about James?"

"James? You mean, do I approve of your crush on him? If he makes you happy then the answer is yes."

She was so thrilled by his response, that she hugged him for all he was worth.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me, to hearing you say that! Oh, brother we must find you someone as well."

"That won't be necessary. I'm perfectly content thank you very much." She looked like she was about to argue when a thought crossed her mind. Her frown had turned from being upset to one of knowing. The mischievous, glint in her eyes made him want to turn around and run.

"What's her name?"

"What? Who?"

"Don't lie to me, you found someone. I knew it! No wonder you were all happy this morning."

"Rebecca, there is no one."

She just stared at him trying to figure out whatever it was that she was looking for. He stared back un-amused by her antics but humored her nonetheless.

Blink –Blink

Stare-Stare

Blink-Blink

Her stare was starting to him uncomfortable. He didn't know why. Maybe it had something to do with her eyes that said that he couldn't hide anything no matter how hard he tried.

"Its Emily isn't it?" He felt his body, become tensed at her accusation. He didn't even know why. It wasn't like he liked her or anything. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?"

"You like Emily."

"No…"

She gave him a look saying, she wasn't in the least bit impressed by his denial.

"What? Okay, yes I enjoy her company but that does not mean that I like her. Besides shouldn't you be focused on James?"

Before she could open her mouth to retort they were interrupted by another voice.

"Rebecca! Mathew!" They turned to find Emily running in their direction with a huge smile plastered on her face. They waited patiently until she caught up to them. She was out of breath when she reached them. "*Huff*-I'm so glad I was able to catch up to you two. You two wouldn't believe what I just found out."

She proceeded to explain about the Minotaur and that the stones were meant to help them

"Do you two have your stones?" They both nodded in confirmation and dug into their pockets to receive their stones. "Now cast an alohomora." They did as she asked and right before their eyes the gems broke apart revealing an object.

Rebecca held hers up to get a better look at it. It was a small vile that was filled partially by a clear blue liquid. "It's a healing potion," she spoke, once she recognized the blue substance.

Mathew, on the other hand held a small amulet. He let a small smile cross his lips before he responded to Emily's curious gaze, "it's used to stop time but it can't be used more than once and no more than a few seconds. Still it will be useful if we are going to be chased around in a maze."

After seeing that her information helped them she turned around, ready to tell the others when she was stopped by Rebecca.

"Why did you help us?"

Emily was confused by her question, "What do you mean?"

"We aren't from the same school and we only met officially today. We aren't exactly friends, so why?"

"Aren't we friends?" she asked innocently.

Rebecca was a bit stunned but answered, "yes."

"Aren't friends supposed to help each other?"

"Yes, but-."

"Then I don't see the problem. Well you two should get some rest. See you and good-luck!"

She disappeared before Rebecca could recuperate from her shock. Rebecca could only watch as Emily disappeared into the next corner. Her brother simply chuckled at her reaction to Emily's cheery demeanor.

Rebecca's voice turned serious at her next words, "That girl is too trusting. I would hate to see what would happen if she ever lost her naïveté." Mathew stopped laughing at her words.

"Then let's hope it doesn't happen," he whispered.

…

* * *

…

"Guys! Great you're not asleep yet." She smiled at seeing the Marauders all seated around the fire.

The guys all turned surprised at hearing her come from outside.

"Emily? I thought you had gone to bed?" Remus was more than a little shocked. If he had known she was still out he would have gone looking for her but seeing her alive and well made him relax.

"I got lost." She said offhandedly.

Sirius snorted, James rolled his eyes before mutter "again."

She scowled at James before going towards Remus; seeing her practically skip around from joy made him smile.

He couldn't help it. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for a kiss. She had landed with a small yelp of surprise on his lap. The kiss had left her breathless and a little disoriented.

"Must you harass her so often Moony. You would think after all the snogging yesterday anyone would think you wouldn't have enough energy left." Sirius commented with a role of his eyes. She blushed, a bright hue of pink at remembering what happened the day before.

"You know Padfoot if you missed spending time with Moony so much then just say so." James commented offhandedly.

"I never thought I would say this but Prongs is right. I want this whole tournament over. I missed the old days when James and Emily would fight over the last pumpkin pie. When Peter would get caught by Filch trying to sneak into the girls bathroom while Remus and I play pranks on unsuspecting slytherins." Sirius sighed in a depressed manner.

"We can still do that when we get back, you know," James pointed out.

"No we can't, not while _she's_ around," pouted Sirius.

The rest of resorted, to rolling their eyes.

"Why do you dislike Elizabeth so much?" Emily asked genuinely curious.

"Oh, ho, ho, I don't just dislike her, I hate her. She's mean, bossy, and so not cute."

Remus, quirked an eyebrow at his last words. "She's not cute?" he asked unsure if he heard right.

"That's right Moony she is not at all cute. She scrunches her nose whenever I refuse to do something she wants. She makes this stupid little frown when I refuse to be feed by her. Not to mention the stupid noises she makes when I kiss her-." He stopped with eyes wide. He had not meant to say that. He had only been listing the things that annoy him about her. He had not meant to say the last part out loud.

Everyone had different degrees of shock written on their faces. Remus was the first to recover.

"That explains quite a bit," he (Remus) commented casually.

"Don't you dare say a word Moony," he pointed an accusing finger in Remus's direction.

"I knew it! You little liar," accused James.

"I-shut up, Prongs, no one asked you for your opinion." Sirius yelled in defense. "Besides shouldn't you two be sleeping for tomorrow's task?"

"That reminds me. I almost forgot. I found out the second part of the poem, and the second use of the stones."

Everyone turned towards Emily.

"So what is it?" James asked eagerly.

"Well first off the It, the poem referred to is a Minotaur and if you cast a spell on the stones they reveal an object."

She went on to tell them what spell to use.

James got a ring that helped him go through walls it was also limited to be used only twice.

Remus pills, the pill allowed the user to become invisible for a few minutes, he had three.

"Well I guess that's better than nothing. Although, I would have much preferred a map," said Sirius.

"Ephraim has the map," Emily said. At her words the others turned in shock.

"How do you know?" it was James who asked.

"Because he told me," she felt guilty for some reason and decided not to elaborate.

"We should go to tell Rebecca and the others," said James.

Nobody missed the part in which he mentioned her name and not the others.

"Wow ho hold on there, Romeo, you don't even know in what direction her dorm is. Besides what makes you think they are going to let someone, especially one of the challengers, from a competing school to enter their room." Sirius told James as a grabbed a good hold of his robes.

James stopped his struggles the moment he called him Romeo. "What in hell do you mean by that?"

Sirius let out an exasperated sigh before answering. "What part of they aren't letting someone from the competitor's side-."

"Not that!" yelled James.

"Oh, you mean the Romeo part," James nodded with a small frown marring his face. "Well a person or in this case a friend; uses such a name to refer to a friend who seems to be head over heels in love."

"I am not head over heels."

"Okay, you're just infatuated with a certain white haired chick. Which by the way I approve, she is quite cute."

"Look who's talking, Romeo."

"What did you say Prongs."

"I said! Look WHO'S talking, R-O-M-E-O."

The night ended quickly with everyone saying good night. Sirius and James still in what Remus called stage of denial and me just being me.

…

* * *

….

Remus's POV

"Through these doors you will be faced with something so foul and so retched that you will have nightmares for a week. Furthermore-." Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from his tirade.

"What Azriel means is we wish you the best of luck!"

There were only eight of the twelve champions left. They ushered us down a corridor with a winding staircase that led down below. According to them they had devices around the maze that would tell them about our locations. They had told us that in case of an emergency we were allowed to forfeit.

The staircase led to a dimly lit room. The room had different hallways marked with a colored gem on the top. They were meant to separate.

As I walked I took notice of the beige walls as they seem to dim out of existence. My wand provided me with only a limited amount of light. The only sounds that could be heard in these tunnels were that of the dripping water and my footsteps that echoed along the pavement floor. I wasn't even sure where exactly I was supposed to be going. It didn't help that all I had were the pills. It would have been more useful to have a map.

I came once again to another fork. Neither passageway looked to inviting but staying here wasn't an option either. According to the poem we only had a limited amount of time before they released the Minotaur. I tried not to think about that at the moment. I figured going right might be the best bet for now. Still I couldn't help the small smile that crossed my lips at remembering what had happened earlier that day.

"_Wha-?Is something wrong?" Emily was looking at me with worried eyes._

_I had woken up early and had sneaked into the girl's dormitory, (a habit picked up by Sirius as James would put it) and had dragged Emily out. I had taken her to a room close to the first floor. I knew that I would be going into the second task in a few hours. Therefore I had wanted to spend a few moments with her before heading off._

"_Relax, nothing's wrong," I said as softly. She calmed down at my words and looked at me questioningly with those big brown eyes of hers._

"_Then what's going on?"_

_I didn't say anything at first then, "I'll be going to the second task in a few hours." I let the statement hang in the air, while I waited for her to understand the meaning behind my words. I wasn't disappointed she stiffened in response and began to bite her lip; an action that had recently been sending my skin on fire. She had always been naïve to the affect her actions had on me._

_I had learned after a while that it was best to act on instinct. I kissed her, she responded eagerly. Feeling her moan vibrate through her mouth and into mine send a pleasant sensation down my spine. When I pulled away I was greeted by her childish pout. I was a little shocked when she reached for the front of my robes before pulling me into another kiss. Her tongue darted out timid at first but grew confident as the seconds passed._

_When we parted her cheeks were puffed out with a bright pink hue covering them. She just looked too adorable. Placing one more, slight peck on her lips, I pulled her into an embrace._

*Crash* he was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of breaking glass, followed shortly by a curse.

"Stupid thing, how the hell am I supposed to make you work now?" There, only a few feet away stood Alexis, holding what looked like a broken mirror. "Remus is that you?"

"Alexis? What happened?"

"This stupid mirror fell and now it's broken. I hope I can still use it."

"Is that what you obtained from the stone?"

"Yup a good for nothing mirror. I would have preferred a map but I guess beggars can't be choosers right?" she let out a sigh before continuing. "Want to work together?"

"I don't see why not."

"Great! Let's see if we can find the others."

They were walking for what seemed like hours.

"I can't take it anymore. If I don't see some action, I'm going to lose it!"She yelled in frustration. As though the maze had heard her the walls of the maze began to shake.

The sound of a large animal vibrated across the tunnels and they knew. They had run out time and they had let it loose. In the next moment James came crashing through the wall bringing Rebecca along with him.

"Moony! What are you doing here?" Prongs asked, surprised written all over his face.

"James! Let's talk about it another time. Run!" yelled Rebecca. We all followed suit.

We all ran not stopping once, going through passageways heading in any direction, whatever came into view first. Sweat was beginning to form on my brow. My legs and muscles were pumping with the exertion needed to run. As they passed the next corridor they heard someone call out.

"Ephraim is that you! Where are you?"

They didn't stop to ask they could feel the Minotaur close at their heels. A few seconds later they heard her scream. They stopped; they all exchanged looks wondering if they should go back and help.

"Damn it, come on Moony lets go. You two run."

"The hell I am," yelled Alexis.

"I'll come two."

"Fine! Let's go."

They found the Minotaur only a few paces away from Nichole, paralyzed. Before they could ask what was going on, she darted past them. Not understanding the situation they decided to run as well.

Then they heard it. The Minotaur had been paralyzed for only a few seconds, once those few seconds ended it had found them. In front of them Nichole cast a spell making the floor slippery.

"So long losers-Ah!" She had run without looking where she was going and fell into a hole.

Before the rest could react the wall moved pushing them into the same whole along with her. They were welcomed by eternal abyss.

They fell with an undignified thump.

"Ow! My bum," complained James.

"Oh, shut up!" yelled Nichole.

"*sigh* try using the door next time," spoke a voice laced with boredom.

"Who's there?" Nichole asked.

They all lit their wands simultaneously and were greeted with the faces of the other three competitors. The one that had spoken had been Ephraim.

"Did you enjoy your ride down the shaft?" Raven asked Alexis with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Oh, be quiet and help me up you moron."

I took that time to assess the situation. The place looked exactly like the way we first came in.

"We've been brought back to the starting point," I said.

"What! That can't be right! He's lying isn't he, Ephraim?" Nichole practically shrieked.

"He's right Nichole. It was a trap meant to make us start from the very beginning."

"But-but that can't be. Come on Ephraim your smart I'm sure you can figure out a way out for us." She pleaded.

Just then a loud voice boomed over them, "Challengers! Well done! You've successfully completed the first part of the maze. You can now proceed to part two."

After that everything went silent. No one so much as moved as they waited for further instruction. Just when they were about to give up the ground began to melt away and the walls began to morph. Then just as suddenly it stopped, there right in front of their eyes the maze had changed into this. The walls were no longer straight the pathways no longer a long straight line. Everything even the tunnels had changed. It was like someone took the maze into their hands and twisted it. There were stairways that went upside down before twisting themselves in an arch way that led to the ground. Everything was either twisted, upside down or both.

"How do they expect us to get out?" Nichole asked in disbelief.

Ephraim ignored her and began to walk forward but stopped at the sound of a door opening.

"Why are all of you upside down?"

Everyone turned wide eyes full of shock at the new arrival. Not even Ephraim was able to hide his shock.

"Well?" they said before crossing their arms across their chest.

I found my voice and the first word that slipped my mouth was their name, "Emily?"

* * *

…

Alice tumbles down the rabbit hole

Down, Down below

Below into the abyss

She is welcomed by strangers

She begins to lose her sanity

She begins to believe

In all the truths

All the lies

She begins to forget

She can't

Can't remember

How she came

How she tumbled down the rabbit hole

…

* * *

Author's note: Please review!


	24. Chapter 24

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 24**

**As promised part 24. I hope all of you are enjoying the tasks so far. I have been trying my best to make them as interesting as possible. The majority of my stuff is based on old ancient stories. I guess you could say I'm a fanatic of ancient stuff. Enjoy **

"_In this world even the strongest fall but its takes more than mere strength to pick oneself up."_

.

_Special Extra Chapter – between chap. 8 and 10_

The Marauders were spending their time as usual in the room of requirement when the door of room was thrown open. A girl by the name of Emily came running inside only to stop in front of James with a look of determination.

"I challenge you James Potter! Do you accept?" She said this while pointing a finger at James.

_None of them seemed the least bit perturbed by her actions. It had become a daily occurrence. Emily would come out of nowhere to challenge James on anything and everything._

James sighs before responding, "I said I was sorry Emily. Can you please let this go?" he pleaded.

"If you're scared of losing you can just say so. I understand." She said this with the outmost seriousness that it had James blanching at her accusation.

He scoffs, "as if I accept your challenge."

_And much like every time James ends up accepting her challenge. This all started with a misplaced batch of freshly baked blueberries. Her challenges varied from chess games to full out duels._

In response the other occupants of the room sigh and smile at their usual displays of childishness.

"I challenge you on a race. Meet me at the top of the west wing."

At the top of the west wing:

"You asked for it!"

"Eat my dust James!"

The Marauders watched on with amusement as they grabbed their brooms and readied themselves for the race. Blue eyes twinkled with hidden mirth as he continued to watch on.

Suddenly he felt a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down to find Emily trying to get his attention.

"Um, Remus I uh have a little tiny bit-small problem," she whispered.

A small smile spread across at his face as he gave her a knowing look. He bent down to whisper in her ear, "let me guess. You forgot about your broom."

At his words her face turned a bright pink. She shook her head saying no. Remus, in response quirked an eyebrow at her in question.

"Um…uh…gulp afraid of heights."

He could feel his smile widen as he tried to hold in his laughter. "So why did you challenge James to a flying match?"

Her face turned a darker shade of red before responding, "I…I-uh-I forgot."

"I see," he turned and placed a hand around her small wrist before tugging her in the direction of the exit. He called behind him before disappearing, "sorry Prongs but I'm going to be borrowing her for the rest of the afternoon." In response the girl in question turned a bright shade a pink while Sirius gave out a few cat calls. James yelled something about perverts.

.

Story Start –

"Emily," the girl in question tilted her head in a confused manner. She opened her mouth to repeat her question when a loud bang was heard followed closely by a curse.

"You would think that they would be gracious enough _not_ to push us through the door," mumbled a voice from behind her.

"Padfoot is that you?" came James confused voice.

"Yup buddy it's me."

"What are you two doing here?" asked Remus.

"Well you see, we uh," began Sirius.

"We have come to help you," replied another voice from behind. This time the voice came from a young woman.

Apparently it wasn't just Emily and Sirius that came through the door. They were part of the tournament. They were our partners and there was one for every single one of us.

"Hey Sirius why are they upside down?" asked Emily.

Sirius just rolled his eyes before telling her that they were the ones upside down.

Remus smiled at her reaction. He reached for her and took a gentle hold of her waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders before jumping down. He caught her effortlessly.

"My turn!" Sirius called out to James.

"Hell no!" yelled James.

"Oh come on," pouted Sirius. The rest just rolled their eyes at his childishness.

We didn't waste much time in talking to one another since we were ushered into separate doors. Every champion their own way.

.

.

.

Emily and Remus had been walking around the maze for what seemed like hours. It wasn't a simple walk by any means. The labyrinth had been full of traps. Emily had the uncanny mishap off triggering every single trap that came her way. Luckily Remus was able to think quickly and prevent anything from happening to her or him. After a few near death experiences Emily made sure to watch her steps. They continued to walk in silence.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He turned his head surprised by her choice of words. "What do you mean? You're sorry about what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow honestly confused by her apology.

"I was supposed to help you. Instead I'll I've done is made things harder for you."

He stopped, and turned towards her. He placed a hand on her chin and lifted it so that their eyes could meet.

"I'm happy that you came," he spoke softly with a smile that made her breath hitch.

"But I-the traps?"

He chuckled at her confused expression. "You didn't know about the traps. I set off a few myself. Besides don't you trust me?" he asked in lighthearted tone. He was teasing her.

"Of course I trust you but-."

He lifted an eyebrow, "if you trust me then you should know that we'll make it. Don't worry so much. I promise we'll be out of here before you know it." When she looked like she was about to argue, he swooped down a placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Know lets go. The Minotaur might be coming any second."

.

.

.

"Look Remus a door!" He turned to the direction she was pointing to. The door looked innocent enough but after spending a few hours in the labyrinth he knew better.

"Wait." Slowly he walked towards the door making sure Emily was safe behind him. He opened it to be greeted by darkness. "Stay close," slowly he stepped forward with an _Acio_ spell. They had just stepped through the threshold when the deafening sound of stone slamming shut hit their ears. The door behind them had closed. Just when he was going to turn back around he felt the floor beneath him disappear. The first thing he did was grab a hold of Emily. They dropped on the floor with a small thump. Their fall was cushioned by a small layer of sand.

Before his eyes could adjust to the lighting he hears small coughs coming from somewhere to the left.

"Moony is that you?" said a voice that distinctly sounded like Prongs.

"Prongs?" he questions. At his words the room suddenly becomes bright with light.

"Where are we?" asks Emily.

They had fallen into a circular room from the looks of it. On one side there was nothing but a stone wall. On the opposite side there was a set of doors. A total of eight to be exact, each was entrance was blocked by a large stone statue that looked a lot like a sphinx. Then his eyes landed on the rest of the occupants of the room. They all looked like they had spent a night in the forbidden forest but other than that they seemed fine. It didn't take him long to notice that someone was missing.

"Where's Alexis?" he directed his question towards the other red head in the room.

"She helped us escape and gave us this," replied James. In his hand he held a small glass mirror.

They had gone silent after his confession. He only hoped that she was okay. Raven looked upset but not like he could blame him.

He noticed that they were all in other words stuck. They could try to destroy the statues but he had a feeling they had tried that already.

"I'm going to guess and say that we can't destroy the statues." Their looks of dismay gave him the answer he needed. Instead of saying anything else on the matter he chose to inspect the doors. There had to be a way to get out even without magic. There had to be a key or a special enchantment hidden.

"Hey! Remus can you read that up there?" called Mathew.

His eyes drifted in the direction in which he was pointing to. Above the doors laid a stone tablet with old writing.

"It's written in Celtic scripture," he said.

They were both suddenly shoved aside by an irritated blonde. "Move aside idiots. It says:

_An untiring servant it is, carrying loads across the muddy earth. But one thing that cannot be forced is a return to the place of its birth. What am I?_

Okay that does not help. Stupid, good for nothing statue."

"House elf?" said Mathew in an uncertain tone.

In response the statue rumbled but did not move.

"No you moron it's got to be something else. How about a Kappa?" she inquired.

The stone rumbled once more but did not move.

"You might as well say Grindylow while you are at it," came Mathew's sarcastic reply. In response the statue began to crumble. "Oh, for the love of Merlin I was right!"

The stone deteriorated leaving behind the sphinx complete with brown fur and a large mane. The disturbing sight was its face, complete with human features except for the eyes. The eyes held a yellowish glow that made them quiver in their feet. Yellow eyes instantly darted towards Nichole, to the one who read the riddle. In the next instant it pounced and latched onto its prey. The opening that had been previously been blocked by the statue was shut closed once the sphinx managed to drag its prey through. They could no longer see her; they could only hear her high pitched screams of terror as they rebounded across the stone walls.

When the sphinx had pounced, everyone else had retreated. Subconsciously both Remus and Ephraim had moved in front of Emily. The rest were too stunned to even move a muscle. James and Sirius had been the first to snap out of their stupor. They had tried to get her back but the sphinx had been too quick.

Behind them Emily stood their shaking. She had only caught a small glance but what she heard was enough to send chills down her spine.

"Challengers Welcome!" the booming voice of a woman had them all jumping in surprise. "This is the final stage of the labyrinth. I'm sure you've already guessed the consequences of getting a riddle wrong. Now, I want you all to play close attention, I'm only going to say this once. As you see the only way out is through those doors. There were eight but now there are seven. Out of these seven doors only five lead to an exit. As you can see each entrance is guarded by a stone sphinx. The only way through is by answering the riddle. The moment you read the riddle out loud it becomes your door. You get three chances and only three chances."

"Wait a minute! She only guessed once," yelled James.

"That does not matter young one. Your chances can be used up by anyone in this room. It all depends on you. Oh, I almost forgot when, and that's only if you do, get a door open only two can pass. Meaning one champion and the person that was sent to help you may go through. Good luck!"

They all stood there contemplating her words. This was going to be harder than any of them anticipated.

"Let's be more careful," cautioned Remus.

"Well here goes nothing," replied Raven before stepping forward.

"Remus why does that door have a red sign on it," Emily called out while looking at a door at the far end of the room.

Everyone in response turned towards the direction she pointed to. There at the top above the riddle was labeled something in red. Remus read the sign.

"It's a warning," called out Remus. His features turned into a frown. He didn't understand why this door had a sign while the others didn't. Before he could let his mind process this any further he heard Emily murmur something to his right.

"I think I remember you teaching me this…is that-no-oh I got it! It says:"

In the background shouts of protest fell to deaf ears.

"_It's a part of Heaven, though it touches the earth. Some say it's valuable, others say no worth what is it?"_

"Well now that doesn't make any sense," frowned Emily.

"Emily you…," spoke Raven

"I what?" she turned around to find everyone wearing different degrees of shock.

"You know…you just activated that door," he replied.

Her features turned from being scrunched up in confusion to a look of utter shock as her eyes widen to the size of quaffle balls.

"Moron," came Ephraim voice from across the room.

"I didn't mean to I'm so sorry Remus," she apologized.

Remus let out a sigh before plastering a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out."

"Too bad it's not like one of those simple riddles," commented Raven.

"My guess would be a rainbow," said Emily in a matter a fact tone.

"Yeah right like the answer is going to be as lame as-," Raven couldn't finish his sarcastic remark because right before their eyes the stone crumbled revealing the living Sphinx. In an instant everyone is on guard but instead of the Sphinx talking a predatory stand its eyes shift before its lips turn into a sinister smile.

"Correct," it ours before leaping out of the way. "You may proceed," she motions towards the opening.

Before Remus could stop her Emily was already rushing through the opening yelling something along the lines that she could smell chicken. Without waiting for the rest and throwing caution to the wind he went after her.

Ephraim also made a move to follow but was stopped by the sphinx, "no, not you." The door shut with a deafening thud. Ephraim cursed under his breath before punching the stone wall.

"Relax lets just figure out a way out," replied Mathew.

.

Both Remus and Emily were greeted by darkness the only sound that could be heard were their footsteps and their steady breathing. The further they went in the hotter in became. Something told Remus that there was something else in this place other than him. Before he could voice his thoughts out loud he sees a sudden shift to his right. On instinct he grabs a hold of Emily pulling her behind him. It was a good thing he did because just then a large ball of fire his the spot that she had been moments before.

"Remus is that," she whispered.

He frowned but never let his eyes leave what was standing before them. "Yes, it's a dragon," he replied.

.

On the outside everyone was waiting to see which of the champions would be the first to come out. The five judges who sat at the front continued to wait. The hourglass situated on top of a stone indicated that they had a little less than three minutes before the entire maze became shut tight.

Suddenly the ground and stone began to shake a large cloud of smoke escaped from one of the openings. Multitude of gasps left the audience at the sight of silhouettes emerging from the underground maze. The first one to come into focus was none other than James being dragged along by Sirius. They were shortly followed by the Taranis and Jehanna champions. Suddenly there was another sound of stone rumbling before four more shadows emerged. Remus, Emily and Mathew, the last remaining champion of the Ice school.

Loud shouts of praise were heard from all around.

"Well done champions you have passed the third task! Came the booming voice of one of the judges.

.

There was celebration going all around. It was time for the main event of the long awaited Yule Ball. As celebrations were being made the rumors of a certain reporter making an appearance were being made. All though the main events had already been broadcasted for the world to see they had agreed that none of the champions would be interviewed until the end of the third task.

On to the Interviews

.

A woman with sparkling spectacles and a note book in hand continued to survey her newest victim- I mean interviewee.

"So tell me young man do you think you have what it takes to win this tournament? Hm," she prompted. "You're name is Mathew am I correct."

"Yes, my name is Mathew. I'm unsure as to what you mean," he spoke calmly not at all perturbed by her unnerving look.

"Am I correct to say that your twin sister is already out of the running," she pressed.

"Yes, only simply because she saved the rest of us," he stated.

"I see…any girlfriend you wish to mention," she continued mercilessly.

He was taken back by the question. He was starting to regret agreeing to such an interview.

He frowned, "I don't see how that has to do with the tasks."

"I see…I'll take that as a no," she said as she began to scribbles some more notes.

Begrudgingly he continued to answer her annoying questions. He could only hope that the others fared off better than him.

.

"I am Raven the awesome," exclaimed Raven.

She didn't seem impressed she mumbled something like, "delusional."

"How long do you believe you'll last?" she questioned.

"I'll win of course," he said confidently.

"You're the last champion of your school right."

"Well yeah but-"

"And it is also to my understanding that Remus Lupin and James Potter saved you a few times correct,"

"Yeah but that was because I was caught off guard," he exclaimed.

"So am I to understand that those from Jehanna are careless," she prompted.

"Hey! No we are not!" he cried in indignation.

"Oh," she sounded unconvinced.

"I was-uh just unprepared!"

"Then lazy,"

"Why you!"

.

"It's an honor to finally meet you James Potter. The heir to the Potter fortune," she exclaimed.

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you," he gave her a charming smile.

"Rumor has it that you're quite the playboy," she remarked

"I uh-no that's not-."

"Yes, playboy extraordinaire," she continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"Hey! That's not-."

"So how many girls do you normally see at a time?" she continued to question.

"None you've got it all wrong-." He exclaimed wanting to pull out his hair in frustration.

"None," she paused. He almost sagged in relief before he saw a twinkle in her eye, "I never would have pegged to play on the other side of the team but I'm not here to judge."

"What! No! that's not- hey-,"

"That explains quite a bit it seems," she nodded in understanding.

He groaned in frustration, "Someone please get me out of here."

.

"You are the infamous Ephraim presume," she stated casually. He didn't bat an eyelash simply sat there in silence. She seemed unnerved by his silence. "The favored to win the tournament," she pointed out. "You don't talk much do you?" she questioned.

"I prefer not to waste my breath on affirming the obvious," he replied dryly.

"Well then mind telling us a little bit about your past. Perhaps an unrequited love," she commented casually. Her sudden question caused his eyes to shift for a split second but it was enough for her to catch it. "So about this unrequited love…"

He simply raised an eyebrow, "who said anything about unrequited love?"

She scoffed before pressing further, "is she here? She must be. Is that why you're trying so hard; perhaps you wish to impress her."

Her questions were starting to irritate him. "If you have no further questions that relate to the task then I shall take my leave." He didn't bother and wait for a response leaving her gawking at his retreating back.

.

"Remus Lupin, I hear that you have a girlfriend who is constantly by your side cheering you on."

"Yes," he smiled.

"So what's her name?"

"Emily," he said simply.

"From what I've gathered she's quite popular with the young men," she taunted.

He raised an eyebrow, "I guess."

"Do you ever worry about you know… about her being interested in other men?"

He simply chuckled as he remembered the day's earlier event. "No, I'm not at all worried. Her interests seem to lie only in food assortments."

The interviewer looked confused by his statement, "food?"

.

They were all very annoyed after the so called interviews except for Remus who found it a bit funny. He was relieved that no one asked why he decided to participate. He wasn't sure he could lie convincingly enough.

.

Ps: please Review! Yule Ball next chapter.


	25. Chapter 25

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 25**

**Author's note: sorry it took so long to update!**

**.  
**

_**Top down in the summer sun**_

_**The day we met was like a hit and run**_

_**And I still taste it on my tongue**_

_**(Taste it on my tongue)**_

_**The sky was burning up like fireworks**_

_**Song - Love Drunk**_

* * *

"I don't bloody hell believe this!" came the indignant voice of Sirius Black. He came in stomping while clutching a copy of the daily prophet. "Prongs explain!" he practically screamed into James's face. James had a look of confusion. He didn't seem in the least bit perturbed by Sirius's sudden outburst.

"What in the bloody hell are you talking about Padfoot?" asked an annoyed James.

In response Sirius began to brandish the tattered scrap of paper into James's face. "What in the hell did you tell that reporter?" he yelled.

"Let me see that," exclaimed James before snatching the offending paper. He frowned when he realized that he had to smooth out the paper thanks to all the wrinkles that Sirius made.

"What does it say James?" asked Emily through a mouthful of pancakes.

His face scrunched up in confusion before replying, "The famed Potter Champion seems to have a liking for his best mate if his actions have anything to say." He scratched his head in confusion, "I don't get it."

"You don't get it Padfoot? Here let me break it down for you. They think I'm gay. My reputation has been tarnished. All those weirdoes that I've managed to fend off for this long will come back for me," exclaimed Sirius.

"Aren't you over reacting?"

"I'M OVER REACTING? I DO NOT like getting my ass grabbed at random intervals. Don't you think being engaged to that banshee is punishment enough," Sirius shuddered at the mere thought.

Suddenly there was a burst of laughter coming from Raven. "That's got to suck."

Sirius's cold eye turned even deadlier as they fastened onto his next victim. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, mister delusional airhead."

Raven's laughter came to abrupt stop, "What did you say to me?"

Sirius snatched the paper from James before handing it over to Raven. Raven took the offending paper, "give me that!" When his eyes landed on the paper his eyes bulged out, "what-how-I am not-how dare- airhead," he sputtered.

.

The castle was in uproar people began scrambling around trying to find someone to go with while others tried to hide. The whole thing was quite comical in a sense. Sirius was one of those few who were trying to hide.

"Sirius Black, you come out of there or I'll jinx you until you turn blue," threatened Elizabeth.

"Go away! Bloody hell I said no!" he yelled back.

"Don't you dare raise your voice to a lady," she scolded.

He snorts before replying, "I'll remember that when I see one."

"Just ask her already. You know she won't stop until you do," came the amused voice of James.

"Screw you! And I said hell no! In fact I'll go with you to the damn ball the day I land my ass in Azkaban."

"Is that how you really feel," her tone came out a little softer.

Sirius watched her for a little bit, you know being a little wary of her. "Yes," he responded before hiding behind a pot.

"Fine," she said.

"Fine?" he questioned.

"Yes, fine. Go with whoever you want. If you refuse to ask me then I'll have no choice but to accept another's invitation." She huffed before leaving all of them dumbfounded. The idea of her giving up was preposterous it was even more so the idea of anyone else wanting her company well that's what Sirius thought.

"Are you really going to be okay with that?" asked James

"What? You mean her psh! Good riddance," Sirius waved off.

"Hey guys! You guys found your dates yet?" came Raven's chirpy voice.

"Why? Who are you going with?" asked Sirius who was still clearly upset about earlier.

Raven turned bright red at his question, "I uh asked Alexis."

Sirius's sour face turned into a cocky one, "I knew you two had a thing for each other. Well congratulations."

"I take it you two plan on going together," his comment was directed at Remus and Emily.

Emily responded with the biggest smile on her face, "Yup." Remus simply nodded in affirmation with a small smile of his own.

"What about you buddy?" he asked James.

"Oh, me, well I don't know," said James.

Sirius and Remus shared a look. They both knew why James hadn't asked anyone out. For one the only one he wanted to ask out was Lily and well everyone knew that her answer would most likely result in James's hurt pride.

Raven blinked at their reactions, "well why don't you ask that chick from that ice school. You know, what's her name?"

"You mean Rebecca?" asked James.

"Yeah that's her name. Why don't you just ask her? I'm sure she would say yes," commented Raven.

"Okay, I will, thanks," said James.

"Great, here comes trouble," said Sirius.

Everyone turned to find Belatrix walking towards them. Her evil sneer made Raven shudder in fear.

"I think I'll see you guys later," came the all too cheerful reply of Raven.

.

"Hey, Remus can we talk its important," said a very serious Sirius. (au: no pun intended)

Remus and Emily had been in the middle of playing a game of marble-pox (an old wizarding game). Emily looked up and Sirius then looked back at the game board. She was currently losing eight to one (she had a feeling she would have lost a lot more if Remus wasn't taking it easy on her).

Remus on his part was a little surprised to find Sirius so worked up. He wondered what was so important that could possibly be bothering him.

"Well I might as well look for Rebecca. I lost anyways. I'll see you two bye!" - Emily

Remus watched her leave before he turned to Sirius.

"It's about James."

"What about him?"

"I hear Lily's going with Snape," he practically spat before he sagged into an arm chair.

"You're worried how James will react?"

"Yes! The poor guy is starting to just get over her, he doesn't need this."

"I think he'll be fine, besides now he has Rebecca."

"You and I both know it's not as easy as that."

"Yeah," sighed Remus.

.

* * *

_**The night of the Yule Ball**_

"You're beautiful," were the first words to escape my lips. My eyes were glued to her form as I watched her walked down those steps. I only had eyes for her and her alone. I watched as she gave that small nervous smile that always manages to catch my breath.

Then just like that the moment was broken when I watched as she placed her small hand in his. I was reminded once again that she didn't belong to me. That she would never give me that smile. That it would never be me who she runs to. It will never be me who makes her the happiest. In her small world there was only room for one person and that person would never be me.

Never in a million years would the thought of such a small girl making me feel inadequate have crossed my mind. Had I not felt the familiar pang on my chest I might have laughed at my situation. Had I ever been anything less than what I am I might have broken down there and there. Instead I forced my eyes away before taking a hold of another's hand. The thought that it was not hers made me feel ill but like a good actor I played my part.

_I will never stop loving her._

_._

_ps: i'm really sorry its so short but the next chap WILL be longer i promise!  
_


	26. Chapter 26 REDONE LONGER

**Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 26**

_Authors note: okay, after looking over what one reviewer said I realized that they were absolutely right. I did promise that this would be a lot longer than the last. As a form of an apology I have re-written this and will have part 27 up as well._

_._

"_**As long as we're together nothing else matters…nothing." – Remus L. **_

_**.**_

"_**Lilly…" **__please just this once look my way._

"_**What do you want Potter? Did you come to make fun of me again? Or are you here to pick on Sirius?" **__She didn't notice the way he flinched as she stood in front of Snape._

"_**No…" **__He wants to tell her but he can't. The words can't leave his mouth because she has always been too great for him to fathom of a world where she would love him back. She's too good for you his conscience tells him. She's a flight risk; she won't stay especially for someone like you._

"_**Then why are you here?" **__She wonders why he continues to make her life miserable. Why does he continue to plague my mind day and night? I shouldn't care, I shouldn't wonder, I shouldn't be falling in love with him…but I am._

"_**I just…" **__tell her, just tell her. Its only there words, __**"thought you should know that I'll be participating." **__You coward!_

"_**Oh…" **__I should have expected that. Why should I expect anything different? She thinks. __**"I don't see how that has anything to do with me. I don't care Potter. If that's it do you mind leaving us." **__I don't care. I don't care. I won't continue to fall for your charm Potter. It's just a little girl's crush it will go away…it will go away…_

"_**I just thought you should know that I won't have time to "ruin" your life as you put it." **__I'll stop. I'll stop caring. I'll forget. I'll make myself forget how you make me feel._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

"_Fine…if that's how you feel. Then okay," she said with eyes cast down._

"_Okay?" he echoed. Not really believing what he heard._

"_Yes, Sirius…okay I give up," she sounded resigned by her simple admission._

"_Okay…then?"_

He wanted to flinch at his own memory. He would die before he ever told anyone but he had been upset for some reason. He was upset with himself, with the situation and with _him._

He glared daggers at a guy from Durmstrang took Elizabeth's hand and led her to the dance floor.

_He's touching her! He's touching my fiancée! _He screamed into his mind. Forget the fact that he was the one that said no to her invitation and forget the fact that he has always denied the fact about their contract._ That's not the point!_

He couldn't help but watch her every movement. His eyes followed her on their own accord. He watched her smile and laugh as his fist clenched. He had to fight every fiber of his being as he watched his _slimy_ hands move to caress her exposed shoulder.

"Sirius is everything alright?" a voice from beside him said. He blinked twice as though her were coming out of a trance. His eyes moved in the direction of the voice to find a beautiful brunet stare back.

The wheels inside his mind moved slowly into place reminding him why she was here talking to him.

_Oh, that's right it's Hailey._ He had forgotten that not much long ago he had agreed to go with Hailey only because he had heard that _she _was going with that brat from Durmstrang.

_I don't care,_ he would continue to tell himself.

"Nothing," his tone of voice made it clear that he didn't want any further discussion on the topic.

"Okay…well do you want to dance?" she asked unsure of what to do. She wasn't used to this version of Sirius. He was always the one to take the lead and now he was just…this.

.

What followed after was simply a bur. He recalled music, laughter and her voice as she danced with someone that wasn't him. He didn't know why or what motivated him to do what he did but he did. He kissed Hailey; he kissed someone that wasn't her. It wasn't because he wanted her or because he felt something for this girl but because he wanted-needed something to take his mind away from _them_. The happy vibe they gave off set it him off. It made bile rise up in his throat.

The next thing he saw was a pair of eyes that didn't belong to her. His hands were touching, pinching and grouping without caring if it hurt her. The girl eagerly joined him in this exotic dance. She touched, nipped and caressed him in places that shouldn't be seen by the public eye. He kissed her roughly in a futile attempt to regain something that he had lost along the way.

Everything was becoming a blur. His body felt hot and numb at the same time. He could feel this desperation in the pit of his stomach that he could not control. The music was nothing more than a low hum at the back of his mind. He found no satisfaction in making this girl whimper and swoon at his actions.

"Sirius," came a whisper.

.

_**Let me be yours**_

.

_**Please just let me be yours if only…**_

.

_**If only for a moment.**_

.

* * *

She was mad. Mad that he couldn't see what she saw. Was it so difficult for him to see that they belonged together? Why couldn't Sirius just see that they fit together? Why did he have to be so stubborn and say no? Fine, if he wanted things this way then…fine.

_It didn't matter_, somehow she couldn't help but feel wrong about saying those words out loud.

.

Why did she say yes? Oh, that's right because _he_ didn't believe her. She would show him that she was not a liar. She would do this just to show him.

.

She couldn't help but admit that this Greg guy wasn't so bad. He was intelligent, cordial, charming, and everything that she should want in a match but…he wasn't-isn't Sirius. No, as much as this Greg guy may seem perfect there was only one person who could complement her in every way. There is only Sirius.

.

_Why? I shouldn't be upset I should have expected this. _She smiled; she smiled her fake smile as she continued to dance with someone that wasn't her fiancée. She smiled because it hurt too much to do anything else. She laughed because it was expected of her.

.

"Sirius," she gasped both surprised and hurt. _Why? Why are you doing this? Why won't you say something?_

She shut her eyes because it hurt too to watch him caress that girls face. It should be her that he caressed not this girl. It should be her that he kisses. Why? _Why did I ever fall in love with someone like you?_

.

_**I am not your puppet.**_

_**.**_

_**I won't let you hurt me.**_

_**.**_

At some point between the kissing and the pulling his mind had drifted off. He remembered it being a windy day so long ago…

_**His parents were screaming again. Not at each other but at him. They couldn't understand why they had a son who refused to study dark magic and wasted his time on playing ridiculous pranks. They just couldn't understand that he was nothing like them. He would never be anything like them.**_

"_**They're here you better behave yourself," his mother threatened.**_

_**He wanted to roll his eyes but he was tired. Tired of the yelling and the pain, he was tired of getting punished for being different.**_

"_**Sirius come down there is someone you need to meet," his mother called from downstairs.**_

_**He took his time climbing down the steps. He could hear the clatter of teacups and voices. They weren't the usual voices of his cousins thus he couldn't help but become curious.**_

_**The first thing he noticed was the bright blonde color of her hair. She looked like a doll as she sat their obediently. He almost snorted in disgust at her actions and he would have had his mother's next words not make him freeze were he stood.**_

"_**Sirius, this is your fiancée Elizabeth," she spoke as though she were merely conversing about the color of her dress.**_

"_**No," he was surprised by his own words that he hadn't realized he had spoken.**_

"_**We apologize. My son spoke out of turn. I assure he does not do this normally. He has been feeling under the weather you see." His mother explained. He would have rolled his eyes had he not been busy trying to find an escape route.**_

"_**hm," said the man, accepting his mother's explanation easily.**_

"Kiss me," Hailey whispered.

He gave a bruising kiss before his mind drifted off once more.

"_**Hi, I'm Elizabeth your fiancée," she introduced herself.**_

"_**Don't say that," he all but spat.**_

"_**You're weird," she tilted her head to the side as she said this.**_

_**He was used to being called weird. He could already tell that he would hate this girl.**_

"_**I like that," she said at last.**_

"Touch me Sirius. Show me what it's like to be with someone like _you,"_

He kissed her and touched her in the only way he knew how to. In the way he was expected to. To act cold, callously without love simply lust.

"_**Why do you continue to try? You know it will never work. You might as well let it die. It's just a bird."**_

_**He would have ignored he had she not sounded so curious but it was that genuine curiosity that made him pause.**_

"_**Because…because it's better to try then do nothing. It may be an animal but it's still a living thing. Everything deserves to live."**_

_**He expected her to call him an idiot or even leave him and go find something else to occupy her time.**_

"_**Can I help?"**_

He hitched her dress an inch higher.

"_**I love you,"**_

_**He couldn't believe that this little girl could surprise him at every turn but she did.**_

"_**No you don't,"**_

_**He hoped she would agree and go away.**_

_**Instead she frowned, "yes I do."**_

"_**No, you don't."**_

"_**I'm being serious so stop treating me like a child."**_

"_**You are a child and you don't."**_

"_**Yes, I do and don't say I don't"**_

"_**Fine, but you know it will pass in time,"**_

… "_**no, it won't."**_

"Sirius," came a whisper.

Her voiced stilled him to his very core. He couldn't understand how this girl could have such control over him. He didn't need to look at her to know that he had hurt her.

_**It will pass…**_

Part of him desperately wanted to hold her close. He wanted to explain that he had only done so because he couldn't stand seeing her with another but he didn't.

_I don't care._

_**It will pass.**_

He only turned to watch as she ran away. He didn't stop her nor did he try to call her name he simply watched her leave.

_**No, it won't**_

_**I love you…**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

* * *

The night was alive. The fire burned bright giving the dark grounds a nice warm glow. His eyes searched until they found hers. He saw and heard nothing but her. Nothing mattered more at this moment than her. As their eyes locked he saw the same passion that he has felt since he first kissed her. Last night his mind had him going over the words spoken to him by _him._ While he disliked him he couldn't deny that what he said was true.

"_You can't give her what she wants."_

He watched her laugh at something that Lily said. She looked happy without a care in the world.

"_What can you a Werewolf possibly have to offer to her?"_

He remembered that night. That night he transformed before her eyes. He had watched those same eyes that twinkled with mirth turn to a dull brown in seconds. How she shivered, coward in fear.

"_You can't give her what she deserves."_

She smiled at him. The smile she gave him reminded him why he was here.

_Do you know what you do to me?_ He can't help but kiss her on the lips whenever she gives him that look. She flushes a nice bright red. _Of course you don't._ He chuckled slightly as he takes her smaller hand in his.

"I love you," he whispers. Her smile brightens even further. She watches him with those eyes that make him feel normal-no not normal, alive.

He smiles back as he leads her onto the surface of the lake. The lake had been enchanted making into a dance floor for the night. The music floated across the open space giving the place an enchanted feel to it.

With each stroke of the violin they would step leading the music guide them into the dance.

He didn't need to hear any words coming from her small lips to know that she is happy. The brightness in her eyes let him know that she felt what he felt.

From a distance he could hear the sound of the violin and piano intermingle with one another. The wind played with the ends of her hair as her twirled her in her spot bringing her that much closer to him.

.

He looked so handsome that she couldn't help but for her heart swell at the sight of him. His face looked smooth and although he was taller than most his stature never made him seem scary. On the contrary it always made her feel safe. How couldn't she. She trusted him with her whole heart.

He held her hand in one of his bigger one as he led and twirled her around the lake. She was happy if only for this moment.

.

_**If only for this moment…(Remus)**_

_If only for a moment…(Emily)_

_**If only…**_

_Yes, if only…_

_**Time stopped**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

* * *

"Welcome all for the third task of the Triwizarding Tournament!" The audience cheered all looking expectantly at the remaining champions. Everyone anxious to find out what the next task will be.

"You have all seen the velour, the intelligence, and the strength they posses in protecting those they care about most. In the last few days we have seen the trials that these brave young champions have faced. It is because of this that we feel that it is only necessary that we-."

The words became drowned by my thoughts. There was this growing discomfort amongst the people. It was just this morning that rumors about a rogue wizard began to spread. He promised a new era for the wizarding world but like all maniacal ideas they were never without sacrifices.

"Now is the time! This is the time when only those strong at heart will conquer. It's time for the Third Task!"

_The House of Mirrors_

"_**Only five champions remain,"**__ they were told._

He recalled how they had all entered from different sides, each with a destined door. He recalled Prongs giving him thumbs up before disappearing through his door. He watched how the remaining three also disappeared into their respective words.

He placed his hand on the knob resolute in entering only to pause when he remembered the proctor's words.

"_**This time you will all be alone. The task that lies before you is like no other. The chances of you not succeeding are lower than the chances of surviving from a dementors attack. This is a test of your inner strength."**_

I paused only a moment longer, _**"You will be forced to face your inner most nightmares,"**_

_**.**_

Mirrors lots of mirrors, all he could see was mirrors. He wondered how long it would take for it would affect his mind and body. He had heard of this place many times. The House of Mirrors, they call that because if it were called what it really was then no one would want to come close.

Similar to its name sake it showed you an inner most fear that may have perhaps happened or will. Time and space meant nothing to the House of Mirrors.

.

_I can't breathe._

_I can't, not now!_

He shut his eyes as he desperately tried to hold back the monster within. The full moon shown bright. His body shook the tremors coming faster and stronger. He was losing it. He was losing himself to his inner beast. He could feel his muscles stretch and his skin tear but that only made him fight harder. He could feel his control begin to slip.

_**Remus**_

His eyes snapped opened as they searched for her.

_Please don't let it be her. Not here not now._

_**Remus**_

_Damn it, I won't lose control. I will not put her in danger for my weakness._

A tormented scream was literally ripped from his throat as he fought the beast down.

_Emily…_

His eyelids hung long as his world began to fade. The last thing he saw was her eyes as his worlds faded.

.

_**I'll protect you**_

.

_**Even from myself**_

_**.**_

.

.

_It's too quiet. Much too quiet_

A bark of dark laughter made a sickening tremor pass his body. He searched desperately for any sign of her red hair.

"Boy! You can't save her. You're too late!"

"Lily! Damn it! Answer me Lily!" he continued to scream even as his throat began to burn from the abuse.

Another bout of laughter echoed. His eyes searched the growing darkness desperately for any sign of her.

_I can't lose her. Not her._

He ran desperately searching. Something in him made his heart pound like crazy.

_Please be okay. Please…Lily_

_**James **_

"Lily! I'm coming just wait!"

His eyes caught sight of her red hair and they were drawn to her hair as if it were a red beacon. He felt panic go through every nerve of his body as he watched her laying on the floor vulnerable.

"I'm here Lily. Can you hear me? I'm here. Call me a prat. Call me anything you want just say something."

"Potter…it hurts,"

He felt his heart clench painfully as his eyes landed on the wound located on her stomach. He didn't need to be a doctor to know that it was a fatal wound.

He tried to give her his best reassuring smile.

"*cough*…it's that bad huh?"

"It's not. It's going to be okay. It's only a flesh wound. By tomorrow you'll be up and ready to your old nagging self again."

"Potter,…has anyone ever told you that you're…a horrible liar?" she let out a shaky laugh.

He wanted to tell her that she was just being melodramatic and that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell himself that he didn't care that it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt to see her like this.

He closed his eyes, "I can't. I can't do this anymore. I don't care about the stupid task. I can't do this. I'm not strong enough for this."

.

.

.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he screamed. He couldn't look away no matter how badly he wanted to he couldn't.

"WHY!" he yelled voice hoarse from abuse. Why were they making him watch? Why were they forcing him to relive this moment.

He watched as his mother was hit once more. He begged her to run. He begged her to leave them behind but she wouldn't budge.

"_Tell us where your brats are_ _we will leave you be," sneered a man twice her size._

It was his fault. He should have held her back he should have stopped her from using magic. He should have noticed that someone was watching but he had been so excited. For the first time in months his sister had began to use magic.

"_I won't let you hurt them," she said through gritted teeth._

The conviction behind his mother's words made him watch her with more admiration and love that he has ever felt before.

"mother…" he whispered.

"_I'll protect them, even at the cost of my own life,"_

He turned away as he could do nothing once again as he watched them hurt his mother. She wouldn't survive. He should hate all muggles but he couldn't-cant because out of those people had come his mother. She was born a muggle. He will do what she had wanted and protect his sibling at all costs.

_I love you._

_._

_._

_._

_Ps: _Okay that should be a little clearer. I hope this is good. Anyways I'm currently working on the next chap. Only a few more left yey!


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